Title: Debugging
Characters/Pairings: Data Sora/Data Riku
Summary: Sora's been working hard to make sure that all the bugs are gone from Riku's datascape, but what if there's another one Riku's been hiding from him?
A/N: Originally done for a meme. Unbeta'd, like the other meme ones are.

.~.

Debugging

.~.

As Sora left the portal of memories that had served as his battleground with the bugs that had taken on Riku's form, Riku was there to greet him once more.

"I knew you'd be able to beat those bugs, Sora," Riku said. "Thanks."

"Of course!" Sora replied, grinning. "They're no match for me." Riku laughed. "Sora thought on it a little more. "They're no match for you either, Riku," he continued, and Riku's gaze focused on him once more. "They might've decided to take on your form, but it's easy to tell the difference." This earned him a smile, which Sora considered an accomplishment. Riku was ablout to say something in response, but he stopped suddenly, bent slightly and gasping for breath, his face twisted in pain.

"No, not now..." Riku was gritting his teeth.

"What is it? Is it the bugs?" Was there one Sora'd missed, somehow? "Is it Pete again?"

"It's not Pete," Riku responded somewhat sardonically, his expression turned inwards as he stood up once more, albeit with some effort. "I-I'm fine. This just... happens, sometimes."

"Riku..." After all these years, Riku should know by now how bad of a liar he was. Sora was a little upset that Riku was trying act like the bugs were gone when they weren't, but he was also a little hurt at the thought of Riku trying to hide things from him like that. "It's more bugs, isn't it?" After another moment, Riku sighed in resignation.

"It's just one bug," Riku confirmed, "but it's very strong, and it's also very dangerous..." He was frowning again. "Too dangerous..."

"Riku," Sora said, a little exasperated at his best friend's stubbornness, "I'm here inside your data because I'm getting rid of the bugs for you. But I can't help you if I don't know where they are."

"You're already in so much danger, being inside me like this," Riku protested, face flushing slightly. "I can't ask you to do any more than you already have." Riku was really beating himself up over this, wasn't he? Then Sora was going to have to put a stop to the bugs and make Riku feel better.

"I don't care how dangerous it is." Sora felt like he'd had to say that to Riku more than once, since he'd first come to this place to fix the bugs inside Riku's data, but it was apparently something Riku needed to hear again. "I want to help you."

"I know you want to help," Riku said. "And you don't know how much that means to me, but…" There was the hopeful look starting to appear again in Riku's expression, but Riku was actively trying to remain pessimistic. "This bug is really awful, Sora. It attached itself to some really strong memories, and Pete putting more bugs in me just made it worse. It's like a virus, what if I can't keep it in and it moves to you and you get inf-" Sora put a hand to Riku's mouth.

"Then I'll just get rid of that bug before it has a chance to do anything else." Sora removed his hand from in front of Riku's mouth, but it was still another few moments before he stopped looking so surprised. "What, did you really expect me to say anything else, Riku?" With that, Riku laughed again, softly.

"I guess not…" Riku replied, looking down at his shoes.

"You guess?" Sora grinned. Riku met Sora's eyes, and this time, he was smiling in return.

"It's just like you to say something like that." Riku looked like he was contemplating something for another moment, and then, "Okay. If you really want to help, then I'll let you. It'll be different from how you usually fight the bugs, but," and here, Riku flushed again, but he was still smiling, "I think you'll do fine. And this time, we can fight it together."

"If we're together, then that bug doesn't stand a chance!" Riku laughed again. "And besides, in some of the worlds I went to, I had to change my fighting style a lot. This can't be any harder than it was in Olympus Coliseum."

"Well, it's…" Riku responded, "…hmm, why don't I just show you?" Then, Riku held out a hand as another, smaller portal showed up, right next to the one of Destiny Islands. Riku began walking towards it, then turned to look back at Sora. "Well? Let's go." Sora hurried to walk into the new place as well.

"This is…" Sora blinked as he looked around the room they'd found themselves in, "my bedroom?" Sure enough, it was the room Sora had grown up in back home, and everything was exactly the same as the last time he'd left it to go to the Play Island with Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus.

"I thought that it would be easier for you if I picked a place you were familiar with," Riku said. Sora tilted his head in confusion. "Technically, the exact location doesn't matter that much, but I picked your old room on Destiny Islands because you have more memories of it." That didn't exactly make things any clearer. "Sora, there's… more than one reason why I'm wearing this coat." Riku took off his black gloves, and Sora stared in shock at the sight he was presented with.

"Riku, that's…"

"…the pattern of the bugs, I know." All over Riku's hands were back-and-red splotches that looked exactly like the bugs' circuitboards. "And it's not just there, either." Riku slowly unzipped the black coat he was wearing and shrugged it off his shoulders. As the dark fabric pooled at Riku's feet, Sora could see more of the splotches all over Riku's arms and his bare chest; there were probably even more, still, that were covered up by Riku's pants and boots. "It's like this all over."

"But how do we get rid of them?" Sora asked, looking at Riku expectantly. If Riku had brought him here, he must have some idea of how to fight the bug.

"I knew that you were able to fight the bugs in many different ways," Riku explained, "so I made a guess that the power of the keyblade would still work, even if you had to do things this way. I'm not a hundred percent positive, but since you seem pretty determined, I figured we might as well try."

"I still don't get it, exactly." Riku looked a little nervous, as if he was hesitant to explain too much more; if Sora didn't know better, he'd almost say that Riku was being shy about things. "But I want to help you get rid of this bug, so just tell me what to do, and I can pick it up from there." Thankfully, Riku seemed reassured by this, and he smiled once more.

"Just… take my hand, Sora." Riku held out his right palm for Sora to take – which seemed awfully familiar all by itself, for some reason – and when Sora reached out his own hand in response, there was a slight glow where their skin touched. After the glow subsided slightly, Sora let go of Riku's hand to look at it more closely. Where some of the splotches had been previously, there was only the pale skin of Riku's hand. "I was right; this is the best way to fight the bug."

"Riku, what just happened?" Sora was more confused than ever.

"Just because you don't have your keyblade out right now, it doesn't mean that you aren't still able to use its power here," Riku answered. "You're still fighting against it, and I can already feel that the bug got that little bit weaker. That was just one spot, but…"

"So if I do the same thing for the other ones, does that mean they'll go away, too?" Sora asked, touching the back of the same hand he'd clasped before. Another glow of light, and both Sora and Riku saw another one of the splotches from the bug fade away.

"Yeah. It's pretty simple, actually."

"Then why were you trying to pretend you weren't hurt before, if it's so easy for me to get rid of them?" This wasn't even close to being as awful as Riku had said it might be. Kinda the opposite, really.

"Sora," Riku said, making sure he caught Sora's eye, "they're all over."

"So that means… ohhh. All over?" Riku nodded once. And the only way to get rid of the bug would be for Sora to touch each and every single one of them. This time, it was Sora's turn to blush.

"I…" Riku was avoiding Sora's eyes again, "I can understand if you don't want to; it's pretty weird, I know. If you just get a few more of them, I can probably fight the rest of it off on my own. Even just the ones on my other hand would help, so don't feel like you're obligated to-" Sora put a hand to Riku's mouth again, and only removed it when he was sure Riku was paying attention.

"Riku. I'm not going to make you do this all by yourself. I want to help." Riku looked as if he wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.

"I know you feel like you have to help," Riku was definitely looking more disappointed than relieved, now, "but this isn't the same as just hitting Blox or Heartless with your keyblade. I'm not going to make you-"

"You're not making me do anything. It's my decision, too."

"But to tell you to do something like this just because-"

"Riku." Sora was really getting frustrated. And his next thought was a little daunting to say out loud, but this was the best time to be honest about it. "I really don't mind. I'd probably agree even if the bug wasn't there." Riku looked as if he wasn't expecting that at all.

"…Really?" Sora nodded, and then that hopeful look started creeping back into Riku's face. "You really… would?"

"Yeah," Sora smiled. Maybe it was a little embarrassing to admit that out loud, but it was the thing that needed to be said the most right now. It also made Riku finally stop looking so upset, so that was a good thing too, right?

"S-Sora, I don't know what to say, I…" Riku's cheeks were a little pink again, but he was smiling, which was the important part.

"I think," Sora replied, stepping closer and taking Riku's other hand in his own, watching the glow for a moment before looking up at Riku's face, "you'll be able to find a way."

"I think you're right."

Sora was right. And by the time they'd both let each other know what they wanted to say, the last of the bug was completely gone.