Six Two Six

Riku is the son of the chief of an indigenous tribe on a remote island - they’ve basically had no contact with the outside world for hundreds of years.

But, recently, due to typhoons their food supplies have dwindled. The chief decided to allow a small crew of outsiders to research their tribe in exchange for resources and agricultural tools.

Due to the proximity (and the lack of willing volunteers to enter this hostile territory) the founding exploration crew hired a fisherman from a nearby populated island.

However, said fisherman had one condition before sailing the crew over to the next island.

He always brought his son, Sora, on any long sailing journeys. It was his only non-negotiable demand. He took Sora with him pretty much everywhere, they only had each other to rely on, after all.

Reluctantly, the crew agreed to his condition.

—-

So, the leading two researchers, a translator, and a cameraman boarded Nigel’s boat, along with his son, Sora.

Who had strict orders to stay on the boat for the entirety of their trip.

—-

The research crew, plus Sora’s dad, had been on the island for a days now.

It was decided by the tribe that the team would eat and sleep on the island, to encourage an ‘immersion’-like experience. (And maybe to keep a close eye on the outsiders). The crew were understandably nervous, but nonetheless excited. (Nigel was just ecstatic to make friends with his neighbouring island)

The researchers were trying their best to translate and document the tribe, they spent every second of daylight interacting with the locals.

Riku however wasn’t exactly ‘welcoming’.

Despite his father allowing the outsiders in, Riku wasn’t convinced this was a good idea.

He was especially sceptical of their foreign tools. Lights, cameras, things that flash and beeb all day and make humming generator noises at night. That all made Riku quite irritable.

He kept an eye out on the crews’ ‘things’, Riku didn’t trust them at all. Their ‘boat’ was giant and heavy looking, how on Earth does it float?

Riku would be embarrassed to admit he spent a long time each day contemplating that question-

Wait, was that a light in the boat?

It’s 4am, everyone else is asleep, but Riku is used to staying along the shoreline on lookout duty in the early mornings.

Why on Earth was there a light?

He could see the boat, the shore, the waves clearly enough, but inside the windows were too obscured to see.

Riku darted back behind a large beach rock, lightning focus on the boat.

—

Out on the deck of the fishing boat a young boy emerged. Dressed in some swimming trunks, the boy stretched his arms above his head.

After a few moments of stretching and rubbing at his sleepy eyes, he climbed onto the railing, raised his arms once more, and elegantly dived off of the side into the water.

Riku dashed out onto the beach.

Why would someone jump into deep water like that? It’s not like humans float! He had no idea what to do when presented with this seemingly fatal act.

Whilst Riku was panicking he suddenly noticed a head pop up out of the water further along the shore.

The boy was climbing up a nearby rock out in the sea!

Wait, what? How on Earth did he do that?

Riku had never heard of a human surviving deep water like that. Let alone moving forward through it.

Unless…

that boy can’t be human!

The tribe taught of divine sea creatures, one’s separate from humans and full of mystical powers. This boy is probably be one of them!

Maybe… he was a divine sea creature similar to that of a human - a mermaid!

——-

Thanks for reading

Riku is a silly boy and his poor tribe worship the divine ‘sea creature’ sora

Sora has no idea how to handle the handsome island boys interest and ‘subtle’ advances.

They all eventually discover swimming exists.

Riku was quite volatile as a teen, territorial and easily agitated. He somehow mellowed out towards the end of high school and into college (with the help of sora and kairi).

He’ll never admit it but the one thing that calms him the most, his deepest darkest secret: his tail.

Snow leopards have long fluffy tails and are known to hold them in their mouths when they are stressed. For some reason, ever since Riku was young, biting on his tail left him feeling warm and comfortable.

He guesses it’s similar to massaging a pressure point to relieve tension.

But, He’s never done it in front of other people before, not even sora - how could he? It’s so embarrassing. He only allows his guilty pleasure when he’s completely alone in his dorm room.

——

It’s a Friday night -

Sora and Riku are walking home from Roxas’ dorm - they were having a party to celebrate Hayners birthday. Riku might have had a bit too much of the strawberry punch that Pence had whipped up, it was filled with an ungodly amount of alcohol but still tasted like a strawberry soda.

Sora had to basically carry him home, holding him by the belt loops in his pants. It was a lot of work but sora likes seeing this side of riku, the side that’s grinning and humming what appears to be a Disney song.

They arrive back at Riku’s room, and Sora comes in and sticks around to take care of him.

‘Hey Riku, wanna watch a movie?’

‘Hmmm, o-Kay’ he singsonged, sora laughed.

‘Heh, come on you drunkard, drink this water - I’ll set up the TV.’

Riku watched as sora crouched down in front of the TV, his orange and black striped tail swishing behind him as he set up the DVD player.

An Idea stuck him.

Riku’s tail was fluffy and soft. But Sora’s tail…

he wondered what it would feel like to chew on.

Riku’s pupils focused into a cat-like shape, the hunt was on. Sora’s tail swished once more and Riku’s leopard ears twitched to attention.

He pounced -

‘Eh- Riku! What are you doing?’

Sora laughed at Riku trying to play fight with him. Sora was on his front on the floor and Riku was looking down at him from behind with his hand on Sora’s back. Riku gripped Sora’s tail and watched it wriggle.

‘Hey what are you do-‘

Riku opened his mouth, forced the top part of Sora’s tail into his mouth and bit down suddenly.

‘-Ah!’

Riku looked over to sora crouched on the floor, his tail still in Riku’s mouth. The bite wasn’t hard enough to hurt so he was confused by Sora’s reaction.

Sora’s face was bright red. He was staring at Riku with wide dilated pupils, his lips parted.

Riku subconsciously bit down slightly harder. Sora shuddered and closed his eyes.

See! Riku’s drunken mind congratulated itself, he knew that other big cats must love their tails being bitten.

Although he has to admit, he didn’t realise how much sora would like it.

Riku looked at him curiously, Sora had his back to him but was looking over his shoulder, face red and panting slightly.

Riku readjusted his grip on Sora’s tail and bit lower down - around the middle of his tail. He wanted to see if it felt the same to bite there. The end swished and twitched as it hung out of Riku’s mouth.

Sora’s ears flattened against his hair and with a shudder - he let out a long moan.

‘A-ahhhhh!’

Riku’s eyes widened, he let go of Sora’s tail.

‘Sora, w-‘

He didn’t have the chance as Sora bolted out the door.

‘S-See you tomorrow!’

He fled.

Riku was left dazed and confused, with Sora’s red face burnt into his mind.

———-

Imagine - Riku as a serious and dedicated shrine keeper.

He wears a sacred thick robe and tall hat as he chants sutras and waves the holy branches in a graceful motion within the ritual hall.

He is part of an Inari shrine, which means the god he worships also holds fox spirits in high regard. Not quite gods themselves, but worth revering nonetheless.

In the compound there is the main shrine but also smaller structures to supposedly house spirits that also come for worship in the mortal realm.

Riku has never seen any ‘spirits’, and as he’s entering adulthood, he’s ashamed to admit he doubts they even exist.

His dedication to his craft, his way of life, is in direct conflict with is declining beliefs. Has all this hard work, training, memorising all been for nothing? - He starts to pray harder, longer - desperate for answers.

—-

One night, when finishing his personal prayers and returning to his room - Riku notices light coming from one of the smaller shrines.

He makes his way over swiftly.

The smaller shrines were built to ‘house’ fox spirits mostly, because of this they were built to accommodate a creature of fox size. So why on Earth would there be a light on?

‘If there are trespassers inside, come out immediately! This is sacred land.’

Despite feeling confident, Riku knew something was different the moment he spoke. It was almost as if his voice was echoing, echoing off of the trees and the shrine’s panels, right back at him.

A small door, made for a fox, creaked open. Riku was shocked that the structure could even move - he was beginning to think they were sealed off, all for show.

But he was quickly thrown out of this thoughts - Is this really the spirits? Riku needed answers and this could be what he’s been looking for.

He crept closer, and peered in. He knew this would be disrespectful but he had to take this chance. He -

A hand touched his chest,

and darkness enveloped him.

—-

He woke up slowly, he took in his surroundings. Why was he in the high priest’s personal quarters?

‘Looks like a spirit had a bit of fun with you last night, my boy’

What? Riku looks down -

He’s only in his briefs and covering his naked torso is hundreds of ancient characters written with a calligraphy brush and ink - sutras, proverbs and even a little drawing of a cat. His front and back is littered with them. Both beautiful and unorganised.

What on Earth? He moved slightly and heard jingling, he also had beads, braids and bells tied over him. Over his biceps, his neck, his thighs - he was too embarrassed to say, but it feels like some string and beads were tied beneath his briefs over his private areas.

The priest spoke again ‘some of these braids are from our holy reserves, the spirit must have liked you to bless you in this fashion. Riku, you must pray for your gratitude in the shrine hall when you are ready’.

Riku felt confused, and even a little scared - He doesn’t remember anything… was this truly the work of a spirit? Does this rectify the doubts in his faith? He wasn’t sure but it certainly didn’t feel like the answers he wanted…

What if he went back? The spirit supposedly liked him, will Riku believe if he sees the divine with his own eyes?

For a week Riku secluded himself and contemplated, he avoided any of the shrines, meditating without any rest.

He made his decision.

The next night he went back to that small shrine with purposeful steps. He put on a strong face despite his trembling hands.

The shrine door was already open. But this time the lights weren’t on.

Did he miss his chance? Riku knelt to the floor, he didn’t realise how much hope he had in this plan, all for it to be too late.

After a minute of self pity he began to collect himself, and stand up from the ground- then he noticed it -

Fireflies, not flying, but walking along the ground. They were coming from beneath the shrine and heading towards the woods.

Riku watched them for a long while, then he inhaled. he had nothing to lose so he followed them behind the shrine, into the woods.

The forest was dense, it was a nature reserve funded by the shrine to protect some of the larger blessed trees. You could tell they were blessed by the sacred rope hung around their trunks.

Riku had walked towards one of those very trees. And in its branches were lanterns - but they were odd. They were dim and green as if the fireflies had climbed in themselves to light them. The whole area was awash with green, making it eerie to see.

Suddenly all the lanterns and the firefly lights went out.

It was pitch black - you wouldn’t be able to see your own hand in front of your face.

Riku stood still.

A hand touched the top of his neck, over his collar and trailed all the way down, softly. Riku could feel the long nail through even the thickest layer of his robe. He tried not to shiver.

‘Hello, you’

The voice was light, bubbly, but it had a certain ring to it that was not of this world. Riku stayed silent.

The hand stayed on his back and started to draw circles in between his shoulder blades.

‘…Sorry about the other night, by the way, sometimes the mischievous fox takes over - we could resist such a cute shrine boy’

Cute?

‘A-are you really a spirit?’

‘Yep! Still pretty new to it all - it wasn’t long ago I was human too. It’s strange - I feel like I knew you then.’

The hand came up and held his chin. Riku couldn’t see anything but it was clear the spirit was assessing his face.

‘Do you remember my name, Riku?’

He jolted with shock, this being knew his name.

‘Uh, no, I don’t think I do’

Damn, what if this offends the spirit? Riku tensed, bracing himself.

‘…Maybe this will help you remember…’

The hand on his chin moved to cup the left side of his face, near his ear. Another hand came up to the right side.

The creature had long nails that massaged his scalp, gently but somewhat sensually.

Riku couldn’t help but melt, his tense shoulders relaxing without him noticing. His ears were a sensitive spot.

The spirit giggled, Riku blushed but didn’t move an inch.

The spirit moved in close, Riku could hear the wind chimes jingle as the creature came forward.

It kissed him squarely on the lips.

Soft at first, but the kiss quickly deepened full of passion and slightly of… desperation?

Before he knew it Riku was kissing back, trying to match the intensity of creature in front of him. Riku felt a single wet drip on his cheek, but he was to enchanted by the kiss to notice.

The creature slowly stepped back, wind chimes jingling.

Riku’s head was dazed, he let out a sigh and without thinking he softly said -

‘Sora’

Riku blacked out for the second time.

———

Thank you for reading ☔️

I envision sora to be wearing a breezy kimono with arms covered in henna-like tattoos, with long - dangerous looking nails.

He only ever uses them to tease Riku’s sensitive spots.

From the moment he steps into his new school near the beach he starts causing havoc. Snapping at the teachers, picking fights, it’s almost as if he’s TRYING to get kicked out. Then maybe he’ll get to see his absent parents for once.

The school doesn’t kick him out, rumour is his parents are large donors of the school - and it looks like the teachers are used to snooty brats. The worst he can get is a suspension, which means confinement to the dorms for a few days.

Naturally, he breaks out of the school grounds. Maybe he can call his few friends back home from a pay phone nearby.

Riku has no sense of direction and ends up on the beach. He doesn’t really like the sun but it’s nice to be in nature and feel the salty spray against his skin.

The sun is shining, the birds aren’t TOO annoying. Riku’s the most relaxed he’s been in years. He’s looking out into the waves when he spots a brown blob.

The brown blob is slicing through the waves, it’s a person surfing. Just as the person, kid?, is about to climb the perfect wave, he falls right in.

Riku catches the persons face as they crawl out of the water. He’s a boy, a cute boy, tanned and toned wearing light blue trunks. They’re probably around the same age but Riku doesn’t seem to care past that.

The boy lays on his back in the sand, he’s clearly out of breath from the exercise. After a moment he lets out the cutest laugh Riku’s ever heard. Strangely, Riku’s not bothered by the loud noise.

Next thing he knows, the same boy is coming up to him - grinning.

‘Hey, haven’t seen you before! You were watching me surf right? Wanna give it a try?’

He held out his hand,

Riku’s immediate thought was to slap the hand away but he stopped himself, I mean, what not give it a try?

He takes the hand and hoists himself up, they dash towards the ocean.

——

Imagine grumpy Riku splashing in the sea, learning to surf and finding his passion - all while letting himself love someone for the first time.

but I also love the idea of sora guiding Roxas as a guardian spirit of sorts.

Roxas always seemed so melancholic in KH2 I’d love to see Sora’s attempts to cheer him up.

- - But that’s way too wholesome so let’s throw in a vanitas too

(Like An angel and a devil on his shoulder )

R - ‘Looks like… my summer vacation is finally over…’

S - ‘It doesn’t have to be that way, you know’

R - ‘W-what? Who’s there?!’

S ‘You can put that stick down, I’m an old friend’

V - ‘well I’m not.’

—————

Roxas would definitely try and fight vanitas with the stickblade

After a miss step mid-lunge, sora went crashing into Riku - they both fell to the ground.

Sora ended up on top of Riku, his head on Riku’s chest

and he discovered something new -

Riku is on the rugby team with his strong build, sora plays tennis (he painted his tennis racket to look like a key, nobody knows why).

Boarding schools are known for their insanely busy schedules, but somehow they always manage to sneak into each other’s rooms at night.

They talk about everything, their classes, their favourite games, their school’s upcoming sports matches.

They often watch movies and do homework but Sometimes they fall asleep together -

Sora shows up to the Saturday tennis meet in Riku’s oversized rugby hoodie. The rest of the team stare (roxas and ventus aren’t surprised)

Riku shows up to his sports meet, opens his duffel bag and finds a key painted on his custom made rugby ball.

- Riku and the other pirates have been sent by Captain Hook to capture fairies for their magical fairy dust -

Riku is tired and grumpy, all of the pirates have been trying to capture fairies for a week now, and all attempts have been a complete failure.

The lost boys have been running circles around them, they have managed to be one step ahead this whole time. The kids have the upper hand - it’s their territory, they know the land like the back of their hand. They also seem to have memorised all of their booby traps and their locations, there are hundreds all over the forest.

Riku wants to be the one pirate to succeed in this mission. The first. He wants to feel the satisfaction of winning, and the validation from the captain. He has daydreamed of Captain Hook, affectionately patting Riku on the back for a job well done. He wants to finally get respect and has a lot to prove as the youngest pirate on the ship.

—- respected is certainly NOT what he felt at this moment.

Riku is dredging through the thick swampy mud of the forest floor, his boots barely hanging onto this feet. He’s covered head to toe in grime and mud, all from the lost boys various booby traps.

They were relentless, Riku fell into almost all of them. Each one making him angrier and angrier. His only respite was the fact that the other pirates were just as downtrodden. At least Riku was still standing, he couldn’t say the same for a lot of the other men.

He has yet to be within reach of a lost boy, and the fairies seem even more out of reach.

But Riku has a plan -

and a sword.

Once he gets his hands on one of those boys, he’s going to MAKE them talk, one way or another.

- he chuckles darkly to himself and he swings his sabre to cut through the vines of the forest.

He hears giggling all around him, the lost boys have been taunting the pirates for hours. Surrounding them but always out of reach.

Riku uses the element of surprise - he dashes suddenly left - into the thick of trees.

Success.

He catches a small group of the lost boys red- handed, their latest ‘pirate trap’ half assembled in the middle of their huddle.

They look up at Riku in fear.

Despite Riku being a teen himself, he’s awfully intimidating to the other youths - looming over them with a harsh glare.

Except, now he’s even scarier - his cold stare has changed into a devious smirk.

With his black long pirate boots, black slacks, low-cut cream shirt flowing and his crimson pirate overcoat - Riku has never looked more like a pirate than in this moment.

The lost boys were quivering with fear.

‘Stay back! I’m warning you!’ One of them cried.

Another picked up a wooden sword, poised to defend.

Riku’s wicked grin widened, he was finally enjoying this mission.

‘Well, well, well. I’ve finally caught up to you. Not so funny now I’ve got past your traps.’

As he was talking, one lost boy glanced to the floor. Riku was too smug to notice.

Riku pulled out his muddy sabre.

‘I’m going to give you a chance, hand over a fairy - just one, and I won’t have to use this.’

The sword glinted in the afternoon sun.

‘We’ll never surrender to a pirate!’ The boys jeered, hollering together in solidarity.

Riku’s glare returned, he went to dash forward to grab one of them -

The lost boys suddenly lost their look of fear, and started to grin.

Riku noticed a second too late -

And plummeted through the floor.

——-

Next thing he knows, he’s tied to a chair, blindfolded.

‘Take this thing off me! I swear I’m gonna tear you guys apart when I break free!’

Riku thrashes angrily for a long while before he tries to take note of his surroundings.

He can’t see because of the blindfold, but something is off.

It’s too quiet.

No giggling, no distant whispers of plotting.

Even the forest itself sounded muted.

Without hearing anything - Riku felt something on his chest.

It took him a moment, but he realised it was a hand.

The hand was slowly, gently, placed right next to his heart. Because his shirt had a few buttons undone, he could feel some of the hand’s fingers directly on his toned chest.

The hand curled in his chest, clutching at the buttons on his shirt.

Riku stilled -

‘Have you calmed down yet?’

Sora.

Riku couldn’t breath.

He hadn’t seen or heard from sora in over a year.

Riku had been striving to be a better pirate and a better man, partially for his own sense of worth - but also to avoid thinking of sora.

‘Cat got your tongue?’ Sora laughed.

‘Let me go’

‘Hmmm, or what?’ Another soft laugh,

‘I like you like this, much easier to manage - are you done being a pirate yet?’

Riku was filled with anger, he’s been spending every moment to be the best pirate - the last person he wanted to be belittled by is sora.

‘You can’t stop me Sora! I’m finally where I’m supposed to be! And as soon as I break free I’m going to show you how much of a pirate I really am.’

If there were any lingering lost boys around, they would have quickly scattered hearing those words.

‘You’re SUPPOSED to be with your friends, riku.’

‘I don’t need friends’

‘From where I’m standing, looks like you need some’

Riku grimaced, he was sat, tied, blindfolded and covered in mud.

‘Do you know what would make you feel better?’

Riku just thrashed around in response, testing to see the strength of the ropes.

‘… a thimble’

Silence.

Riku furrowed his brows, he didn’t know what a thimble was and he was to proud to ask.

‘It’s the most sought after thing on the island’

Riku’s ears peaked, something even more valuable than fairy dust?

‘Ever since that girl gave one to Peter, all the other lost boys have been begging her for one too - they don’t know I have one as well.

I used to see adults give each other thimbles all the time before coming to Neverland. Are you sure you don’t want to try it?’

Riku stopped to think.

Is this a trap? Would sora trick him? The other boys would in a heartbeat , but would sora do the same?

Could this be an olive branch? Was sora willing to give him the upper hand to help his social standing as a pirate?

‘Fine. I want one, but I swear, if this is a trick I’m gonna hunt you down and make you pay.’

Riku heard sora get closer.

Sora was perching on his lap!

‘Sora, what th-‘

Sora kissed him.

It was soft, silent and still. It wasn’t hot or passionate, but so obviously filled with love and longing.

Riku’s blush exploded from his toes up to his ears.

But he didn’t move, he didn’t want to.

His head was a mess of noise but also silent at the same time.

Before Riku’s consciousness caught up with him -

Sora had gone.

His blindfold fell onto his lap, someone had untied it.

There was now a pouch on the ground in front of him.

When he finally broke out of his constraints, he grabbed the pouch and opened it.

It was full of fairy dust, more than a fairy could make in a year.

Deep down in his mind, Riku wished he could exchange it for another thimble.

———

☔️thanks for reading.

I love this cross-over concept, it’s perfect for the adventure/ friend dynamic, longing and even friends to lovers.

‘What do you mean you’ve never kissed before? You guys are best friends! All best friends have kissed each other at least once.’

Riku and sora stop and look at each other -

a single empty bottle spinning between them on the floor. Somehow namine convinced them to play spin the bottle Saturday night.

‘To be honest, I’ve always been kind of curious..’ sora scratched the back of his head. He was fulls of laughs a moment ago but now he’s twitching and embarrassed.

Riku was frozen, his palms were sweating-

this was it, his chance.

He looked briefly over to kairi for reassurance.