The Ties That Bind Us

by Mut

There is nothing stronger than the ties of love, and war. It is the choice between them that is the hardest. [RikuSora, AU]

The Ties That Bind Us

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or its affiliates. Otherwise Kairi would be evil and Riku would swoop Sora off of his feet. (And Sora would have shared that poapu fruit with him, damn it!)

Warnings: A little bit of language, dark themes, sexual content, AU

Author's Note: I wrote this before KH2 came out and I had no idea they were going to put Mulan in the second one. I lol'ed when they did. Also, this is AU because my friend brought me into Kingdom Hearts before I'd even played the game and we started RPing Sora and Riku, so I wrote this mainly for her. There's only one reference to our RP, however, so it doesn't really interfere with the story. Riku loves Sora, Sora knows this, but they're still on opposite sides so don't worry -- the canon is still there. As always, flames are welcome because they're fun, and if you want to tell me I suck at their characterization do that as well. Once again it's unbetaed; any mistakes are mine.

---

The first thing he notices is that it's bitterly cold. His nose is already burning and his hair is covered in fine, white, powdery snow. He has not been to a world that has been this freezing before, though he does remember that Agrabah held the other extreme. He decides that it is only fitting that everything be represented, hot and cold alike.

He wonders why Maleficent keeps sending him to these turbulent environments, but realizes that the answer lies therein. Why would she bother to suffer the cold when she can send him in her stead? Beside which, from what he understands this world is at a war completely different than the one he himself is battling.

Where am I? he thinks, pressing onward through the snow, following the locator spell he cast when he landed in this wretched, barren wasteland. It has been over an hour of walking and he is no closer to his target than he was when he first came here. The wind coming down from the mountaintops whips at his skin and stings his eyes, and he shivers as he walks, body trying to adjust to this new world just as it tries to adjust everywhere. He is still only human, and the clothes he wears are light to give him speed and agility; not warmth.

He knows he is being watched when a whisper touches the back of his mind. He has come to rely upon this alien source, this tiny voice that he knows is not his own and has come to associate with the darkness. He stays alert, but has no reason to act yet. This is their territory. They know it better than he does.

The arrow comes quickly, but he is just as quick. A jerk to the side and it soars past him by an inch. His keyblade is summoned and he is reawakened by its power, infused ten times over with an energy and strength he has never known on his own. It flows through him, into him, and he absorbs it eagerly into the very marrow of his bones. He holds his weapon not like an extension of himself, but like a part of himself.

Two more arrows come, easily deflected by the edge of the blade, but when he waits for more, none come. There is only silence, and then the solid crunch of footsteps as men appear from nowhere, dropping from trees and sliding down from overhanging cliffs as if they were born from nature itself. They are strong, heavy men, with sharp features and mean looks. They keep their arrows posed on his heart. Riku feels dwarfed by them, but he does not feel intimidated. It is only when their leader steps forward, tall and proud with a malicious face, that Riku raises his keyblade with an spark of wariness.

He knows immediately from the very energy of this man that he is evil. A different sort of evil than what Riku is used to, but not altogether opposite. The man studies him without speaking, distrusting but surprisingly not frightened. Riku is strikingly different than anyone in this world, and he has expected this to give him an edge. But here, now, he worries it might only make him seem inferior.

"A child," the man finally speaks, his mouth drawing into a grim frown. "And foreign. Where do you come from, boy?"

"Have you seen the heartless?" Riku inquires, tilting his head. "The black-bodied creatures that wander around here." The man nods, curiosity piqued. "I come from where they come from."

This is the answer he gives everyone, in every world, which usually incites a fearful response. But this man only seems more interested, an unsettling sort of interest that Riku does not like. He knows he must show it, but all the man does is lift a hand to silently tell his band to lower their weapons. They do so in perfect synchronicity. These men are warriors.

Then suddenly it hits Riku.

"You're at war," he says, "with whom?"

The man looks surprised. "We are the Hun army. We've come to seize China."

---

Sora really likes the lizard.

Sorry, dragon.

"You're her guardian? Like an angel, sorta?" he asks, bright blue eyes studying the tiny red creature with delight.

"Do you see me flitting around with wings and wearing a toga?" Mushu asks, staring at Sora with indignation. "Don't ever compare guardians to the likes of those harp-strumming morons."

"Do they all look like you?"

The little cricket (who has been sitting on Sora's shoulder) starts doubling over with laughter, and the boy glances at it with a quizzical smile as Mushu pops it in the head with his fist.

"If you mean are they all as grand as me, of course not. They only send the best to protect the Fa family." All seven inches of him puffs up proudly. The cricket, after recovering from its daze, starts laughing again. "What? Do you have something to say about that? Don't forget I can chargrill your tiny butt for breakfast!"

The two begin arguing, and because Sora can never quite understand what the cricket is saying, he turns his attention to the rest of the occupants of the tent. It's a tight squeeze, what with Goofy, Donald, Mulan, Mushu, the cricket, and himself, but they seem to be getting along ok. Donald pretty much sticks to himself, and Goofy seems to laugh at almost anything Mushu says, so the only time they have any real trouble is when Mushu and Donald squabble over something.

Mulan's been very quiet, and Sora can't blame her. From what she explained, she donned armor and pretended to be a boy to protect her father – which is punishable by death in this world. They met her after she'd been found out by her army, and luckily she'd been spared her life, but Sora gets the feeling that life is second to honor here. And according to their rules, she has dishonored her family.

Sora tries to understand, but because there is so much more at stake, he is at a loss as to how to explain to her that she needs to get somewhere safe, and fast. It's not just about the war with the Huns anymore.

"The people call them demons; bad spirits," she says suddenly, quietly, looking at Sora. At his confused look, she clarifies. "The dark things that you said were ... heartless?"

"Ooh," Sora nods, chewing his lower lip worriedly. "We really do need to get you someplace safer than this, princess."

"I still think you have the wrong person," Mulan says, brows furrowed. "I'm not a princess." Her head lowers in shame. "I'm not even a soldier."

"Stupid rule," Donald speaks up from his corner, arms folded and usual cross look on his face.

Mushu, who has been listening, looks deflated too. "Well, I guess there's no other choice but to go home."

"I can't go home," Mulan says, shaking her head. "I don't think I could bear the look on my father's face. I've let my family down."

Sora is confused. "But Mulan, without you, the Hun army would still be on their way to your city right now! You destroyed them all with one little cannon!" Mushu related the whole story to them in vivid (and cinematic) detail.

Mulan only shakes her head. "You don't understand," she sighs, and leaves it at that.

There is a distinct and uncomfortable silence, and then Sora stands, scratching his head, and decides to try one more time. "But they're safe now. Your world's safe now. Because of you. It doesn't matter what everyone else thinks, you know what you did. Yourself. And if your father can't see the strength in you than he doesn't deserve to anyway."

Mulan looks up at him, a tiny, sad smile crossing her lips. "You speak well for a boy."

Sora blushes a little, combing his gloved fingers through his hair nervously. "Well, it's the truth!" he defends. They both smile at each other for a moment.

A panicked whinny suddenly comes from outside of the tent and before Sora can ask, Mulan is on her feet, sword in her hand as she races outside. Sora follows her immediately, keyblade summoned without even thinking.

"What it is?" he asks worriedly. Mulan is at her horse's side, whom is rearing and nodding its head in the direction of the mountains. They both glance in that direction, and simultaneously they both freeze.

"Shan-Yu," Mulan breathes.

"Riku," Sora murmurs.

---

"You're telling me you lost your entire army because of a single man?" Riku is perplexed. From the sounds of it, Shan-Yu's army was undefeatable. They plowed right through the Tungsten Pass and the imperial army without even pausing. They had been on their way to the city where the emperor himself resided when they had come upon a small force who were heading in the same direction, presumably to stop them.

Here, Shan-Yu laughed. It was a bitter, angry sound that thrummed in time with the darkness. It took Riku a moment to realize the darkness was feeding off of this man's energy, and in turn growing by it.

After his long-bow men were blasted by cannons, Shan-Yu led his force down the mountainside right at the scrawny army, expecting nothing more than to cut them down where they stood and move on.

"That's right," he replies, "one man. A young man." He scratches his chin, cruel eyes revealing nothing. "A pretty man."

Riku listens earnestly, wondering for a slight moment if – maybe – Sora? – but no. Shan-Yu would have mentioned the differences. He would have definitely wanted to strike Riku down upon seeing him, being as their garments and weapons at least beared nearly identical resemblance.

"One damn cannon and I lose all of my men save ten." Riku feels Shan-Yu's hatred, it snakes past his defenses and wraps around him. He feels anger that is not his own.

"What are you planning to do?" Riku asks.

"Continue, of course," Shan-Yu says without pause. He looks at Riku with consideration. "We will not admit defeat because of one man. He may have gotten the better of us, but even so we are underestimated. Their army has moved on to celebrate, and if we cannot take the city by force we can take it by secrecy." He smiles darkly. "You can aid us."

Riku definitely has no interest in fighting anymore wars than he already does, but he knows better than to decline. Even with his keyblade, and the knowledge of magic, these men are strong – stronger than him by far physically – and he isn't going to take anymore chances than he has to. Beside, they might just lead him to the princess. If she's not with the emperor, where else could she be?

"Sounds interesting," he replies.

---

"We've gotta go!" Sora exclaims, grabbing Mulan by the arm.

"It's too late, they've already spotted us!" Mulan spins around. "Mushu, you guys, hurry!" She is already swinging herself onto her horse, reigns and sword in hand, as Donald and Goofy stumble out of the tent, eyes taking in the sight of the remaining Hun army accompanied by a boy they recognize immediately.

"I don't believe it, it's him!" Donald rages, and his arm is raised, ready to let go with a spell.

"Save it, you're out of range!" Sora snaps, noting Mulan has turned her steed around to face the army, who is galloping toward them on horses and coming quickly. "No, we should go! It's not worth the risk, Mulan!"

"They'd catch us before we even reached the pass," she replies, looking over her shoulder. Her face is void of all but grim determination. "And I pledged to defend my country."

"You don't – " Sora begins, but knows it's useless. He watches Mushu scamper up to slip into Mulan's armor, and right then the Huns are on them, circling around them tightly to keep them from escaping.

Sora's keyblade is out and he is not surprised when it is Riku's blade he is met with first. There is no time for lingering looks or deep gazes; fighting is hard and fast and breathless, and always will be between them. Sora swings his blade wide and Riku jumps back. Sora leaps in and Riku twists to meet him. There is an enormous wave of energy coming from Riku's keyblade that rattles his own, sending electric tremors straight through his blade into his arm. He narrows his eyes, wondering where all the energy is coming from. Is it possible Riku is becoming more powerful than he himself is?

But no, because in the next instant Riku plunges forward too hastily, and Sora dodges aside artfully, letting the boy lose his balance as he brings the grip of his blade down between Riku's shoulders in a heavy blow. Riku stumbles as he turns, and Sora slashes him horizontally in the side. He has learned, finally, that he cannot withhold from injuring him anymore. Riku does not refrain.

He glances up quickly to see how Mulan and the others are faring, and notes she is locked in a deadly battle with a large, scary man who Sora instinctively recognizes as being the leader. He knows also that she will not last long. The man is too large and powerful for her, and her arms are not strong enough to hold a sword to his.

Donald and Goofy are busy grappling with the other Huns who seem mystified by them but are still fighting with all the force they can muster, and Mushu has sunk his teeth into one of the Huns' ear, holding on bravely as the man flails and screams. Mulan's horse, too, is rearing and stamping anything in its path.

Riku is deadly silent when he strikes again, and Sora barely has time to catch himself and return to the fight, surprised at how fast the other boy recovered. Riku is bleeding through his shirt, and the sight momentarily makes Sora lose focus – he is still not used to shedding his best friend's blood – giving Riku the momentary advantage. He strikes harder than Sora expects, and the brown-haired boy goes down, clutching his arm. He rolls away as Riku lunges forward to keep him down, and kicks solidly at Riku's leg as he pushes himself to his feet.

They both gain their ground and are fighting again, this time attentions fixed on nothing but each other. Riku advances and backs away, lunges and withdraws, his technique no different than what Sora remembers. He is luring Sora further and further away, however, and when Sora figures out why it's already too late.

Riku raises his keyblade vertically above his head, and the sun glints off of the black metal. Sora whirls around. "Watch out!" he shouts, just as arrows fly from nowhere, striking both Mulan and Goofy. Riku hits him heavily in the back of his head and Sora has no choice but to raise his arm to deflect the next blow, driving forward angrily. This time he cuts more viciously, and Riku dances back with a bit of a gasp.

"Dirty trick, Riku!" he yells, parrying Riku's keyblade easily as his sings vengeance.

Riku says nothing, eyes dark in the way Sora hates. He realizes, with a sinking heart, that they are losing this battle. With unseen archers it is only a matter of time until they are cut down.

He circles Riku around so he can get a better view of the fight, and suddenly breaks away altogether, leaving Riku panting and with no choice but to chase after him as he darts back into the fight, through Goofy and Donald (who is attempting to fend off a Hun to help his injured friend) and to the large man who has Mulan on her last leg.

Sora is between them in an instant, whirling his keyblade with all the strength in his body to clash directly with the heavy man's sword. He pushes him back some, but the fact the man does not give much tells him a great deal.

"Out of my way!" the massive Hun snarls, and pulls his sword back to knock Sora's blade from his hands altogether. He has the pure force to do it, too.

"Stop!" Sora shouts, hand out and expression narrowed, and the blast of magic hits the Hun directly, forcing him to a standstill. His sword is still raised mid-swing and he stares at Sora, startled at this new development.

Sora turns to Donald in the moment he has the freedom to. "Donald, get her out of here!"

Donald sends another magic attack toward a Hun he is currently locked with, and looks at Sora. "Come on, then!"

"No time," Sora gasps as Riku knocks into him hard from the side, sending him crashing to the ground. "Just do it!"

"She's not going anywhere – bring the duck down!" Riku is the only one of the group who understands what might be going on, and in confusion and disarray the Huns sluggishly follow his order – unsure whether or not to obey this silver-haired foreigner.

Mulan rolls to the side as Shan-Yu regains control of himself again and completes the swing, this time aimed to chop her in half. She barely pulls herself up to catch his sword as it comes crashing into hers again, and he pushes forward, driving her own blade closer and closer to her throat. She is worn out, but still fighting valiantly.

"He'll kill her," Sora tells Riku, hoping against hope this is enough to give him even an ounce of breathing room to get her away safely.

It works, because Riku makes a jerking motion, looking as if he's not so sure Shan-Yu won't just do that – and after all, he needs her too.

Sora kicks him squarely in the jaw and gets to his feet to intervene between Shan-Yu and Mulan again. This time, Donald is ready and he hugs Mulan from behind (much to her dismay), pulling her away from the fray. Goofy is with him.

"Stop! What are you doing?" Mulan cries, exhausted and a mess, her side bleeding generously from the arrow wound, but still filled with spirit. The Huns circle and move in, while Shan-Yu grapples with Sora, interested in tossing him aside quickly to get to the girl.

"Sora!" Donald cries.

"Just go!" Sora knows if they waste another moment they will be overtaken. He thinks he might just have time to slip away and get to Donald before the spell is cast, but when he moves out from under Shan-Yu and makes a move for his friend, he is caught by Riku instead. Donald can wait no longer, and Sora attacks Riku with frustration as he hears the duck cast the spell behind him, blinding everyone with a bright blue light as he, Goofy, Mulan, Mushu and even the horse disappear in a void. The key is physical connection, and Sora can't reach them.

The leader lets out a loud, hair-raising roar, and pushes Riku aside like a rag doll to bring his sword down at Sora, intent on murder. Sora is now surrounded by all sides and barely catches the swing in time to save himself. He is pushed to his knees in the process, and the next swing knocks the keyblade from his possession altogether. Vulnerable and out of breath, he cannot even find the time to muster a spell before the Hun is bringing his sword down again.

---

Coincidences are something Riku has come to appreciate.

Like, for example, traveling with the Hun army and happening upon not only Sora, but other people with Sora. The princess, in particular. For some reason luck has decided to smile upon him.

Shan-Yu snarls when he first spots Mulan. "That's the boy."

Riku all but laughs. "That's no boy. She's the princess."

This tidbit of information is partly lost on Shan-Yu, but his boy being a girl seems to register. Riku is unsure he has ever seen such a look of outrage on anyone.

Riku does have to give the man credit, however, as he controls his fury just long enough to plant archers before they let themselves be seen and thrust themselves headlong into a battle.

He admits, in retrospect, he probably should have told Shan-Yu something along the lines of "don't kill her," or "she's worth more than a thousand Chinese Empires," just to get him to understand the magnitude of what they were trying to achieve. This is why Sora is able to help her escape, and this is why Riku is having problems.

"Quit it!" Riku snarls, back on his feet and keyblade raised menacingly.

"Excuse me?" Shan-Yu snarls in turn, but stops his downward swing just before he cuts Sora's head off, and Riku cannot suppress the slice of fear that grips his system at the sight of the brown-haired boy's life in the hands of a man as menacing as this one.

"I said stop," Riku repeats, voice urgent. "If you kill him, we'll never get to the princess."

This gives Shan-Yu pause. He studies Riku as if suspecting him of sabotage, but finally relents with a grunt. "What do we do with him, then? He knows sorcery."

"Leave him to me," Riku replies, stalking toward Sora, who is sitting tensely, the sword still at his throat. His eyes move from Shan-Yu to Riku as he approaches.

Shan-Yu pulls his sword back and Riku expects Sora to leap up and call his keyblade to his hand before he even does it. "Sora," he cuts in, giving his head a sharp shake, "you're outnumbered."

He misses the look of intensity Shan-Yu gives him upon saying Sora's name.

Sora's muscles relax, the only indication of what he might have done, and he raises his chin a little to look at Riku, eyes cautious but unafraid. Riku kneels in the snow before Sora and grasps his chin tightly in his hand. Sora's eyes widen just a mite, but Riku keeps his eyes locked with the other boy's. The Huns look on in bemusement.

"Sleep," Riku says, and when Sora hears the spell he jerks his head back, trying to break it before he is seized by it. But the damage is done, and Sora slumps, shaking his head sluggishly, before falling forward altogether. Riku catches him and stands, bringing the boy's limp body with him, lifting him clumsily into his arms.

Shan-Yu is gripping his blade tightly. "You're both sorcerers. And those other creatures were some form of demon."

"Maybe the duck," Riku agrees thoughtfully, "but the other one's just an idiot."

Riku waits for Shan-Yu to lead them out and the man does so reluctantly, keeping Riku in sight. The rest of the army follows the two, amazed and confused.

---

"What is it you are doing?" Shan-Yu asks. His beady eyes sharply observe Riku as he walks, extracting stones from his pocket every twenty feet and placing them on the ground. In front of them he draws a symbol in the snow with his finger, careful to etch it in deeply.

"I'm making a barrier," Riku explains, standing up from his position kneeling on the ground as he finishes drawing the mark, continuing to walk further on. "An invisible barrier. That duck you saw is a magic user, and he'll probably be able to detect Sora through those purposes unless we do something to deflect him."

Once again he misses the glance Shan-Yu gives him at the mention of Sora's name.

"Not only is it invisible," he continues, "but it's solid. They won't see our camp, nor will they stumble upon it. Because I'm using a sealing method it will take time for them to break it even if they do walk into it."

He understands that the leader of the Huns can only comprehend a little of what he says. This world is not a magical one, but a medieval one. It's very basic and war-torn, at that. He wonders at the ability of the man beside him to face these strange new alien things without fear. But he has realized that Shan-Yu does not fear anything.

"How wide is it?" Shan-Yu asks next, watching as Riku stops to drop another stone and kneel to draw the symbol.

"If I estimated correctly, just short of a two-mile radius."

"You are planning on staying here for some time, then."

Riku glances up at Shan-Yu, noticing the skepticism in his eyes. He knows why. Slowly, he rises to his feet, brushing his gloved hands free of snow. He sighs, and glances to the sky.

"It seems our path diverges," the Hun comments.

"Why are you invading China?" Riku asks.

Shan-Yu studies him for a time, as if trying to deduce what sort of answer Riku is looking for. "To conquer," he says simply.

"For power," Riku clarifies. At Shan-Yu's nod, he smiles grimly. "What if I told you that girl is the key to the ultimate power?"

He's caught the guy's interest already, as he knew he would.

"I already told you I come from the same place the heartle – those dark-bodied creatures do. It's not only outside of this country, but in a completely different world from here. There are hundreds of them, each different. Before they were ... separate, like they'd always been. But something happened and their barriers – barriers like this one," he waves his hand to the stones in front of them, "melted, and then the heartless started taking over. But there's a method to the madness. It's exactly what you're seeking here."

He pauses a moment to let all of that sink in, knowing somehow that this man – this power-hungry man – will believe him where many would not. Shan-Yu crosses his arms.

"And you seek to conquer what?" he asks.

"All of them," Riku says. "All of the worlds. Think about it. You'd be more than an emperor of some foreign land. You'd be a god. With the power of the universe belonging to you. There'd be nothing you couldn't do; nothing you couldn't achieve."

"And to get this power, you need the girl?" This is where he's lost Shan-Yu. Riku does have to admit, it seems pretty far-fetched and fantastical.

"It's hard to explain." Especially to those cemented in the tangible, he thinks. "Let's just say she has something necessary to win. A special weapon. And in every world there's a girl just like her."

"And you gather them."

This guy catches on quick. "Yeah"

"Who, then, is your superior?"

"A sorceress, infinitely more powerful than me. I'm just a soldier," Riku admits, but knows Shan-Yu probably never thought any different. "But it doesn't matter. Because the kind of power this will eventually earn me – will earn all of us – is the kind that leaves plenty for everyone. I'm just one of many."

"You think I would give up my crusade to join this cause?" Shan-Yu asks, looking more formidable and superior than ever. Riku shrugs, continuing to walk on to finish the barrier.

"We need allies in every world. You seem to desire the same things as we do. If you help me, I can help you. Willingly," he adds, because he knows Shan-Yu expected to make him help in the first place.

He drops the last stone, squatting to draw the symbol, and then stands. Summoning his keyblade, he cuts his finger on the sharp edge and lets a few drops of blood fall upon the symbol in the snow. Shan-Yu watches with fascination.

Holding the keyblade steadily in front of him, Riku whispers the barrier spell underneath his breath in a rush of incantations. Instantly a gust of wind whips his frame, and a powerful flash of green energy flies out from the tip of the keyblade, following the circle made by the stones. It flows upward into the sky above them and forms a complete bubble around them in a matter of less than a few seconds. A sharp crack echoes as it completes the circle, and the green energy fades to a misty, translucent color that is barely noticeable, and not at all detectable from the outside.

Shan-Yu glances around with a wide but steady gaze. "I will have Lei extract information from the boy."

Riku lets the keyblade disappear, ignoring the cold, sweeping feeling those words induce in him. "No," he tells Shan-Yu, meeting the man's gaze squarely when he looks at him with a surprised glare. "He won't break under torture."

Shan-Yu does not like his decisions being challenged, and Riku knows it. "There is not a single living man Lei has not been able to overcome."

"He hasn't met Sora," Riku says solemnly, slipping his glove back over his still-bleeding finger. "Trying to break him too quickly will only make him more determined." He looks up at Shan-Yu. "Right now the most precious thing to Sora is time. He's on a mission too, like me, but his is more desperate because he is in the defensive position. He can only react to what we throw out, and because of that he is in our hands."

Shan-Yu frowns. "The longer we wait the quicker the emperor can gather more forces."

"That's not a problem because they already think you're wiped out. The only people that know otherwise are us and those we fought. And they're not going to go anywhere until they get Sora back."

Shan-Yu raises his brows. "That boy is so important that they would delay for him?"

Riku smirks. "He's more important than any one of them. Without him, they have nothing. But without the girl, we have nothing either. Stalemate."

---

"Quit it!"

Don't drop the keyblade, don't drop it ...

"Excuse me?"

Too late, too late! (It's ok they got away they're where we planned they're safe it's fine)

"Sleep."

Stay awake don't let it get you don't let it fight it Sora fight it !

Sora's eyes fly open, and he struggles instantly, hand opening to summon his keyblade. When nothing comes, he blinks in confusion, noting his surroundings. He is in a tent, his hands tied behind his back tightly around some sort of pole. Wood, he thinks, as he pulls against it, trying to break the bonds with pure force.

Why can't I summon the keyblade?

He is worried, and when he hears voices outside of the tent he freezes, holding his breath. Everything comes rushing back at once, and he grits his teeth, wondering where Riku has taken him. More importantly, though, is that he needs to get out of here as quickly as possible.

The flap of the tent is pulled open and a thin, wiry man with a mustache steps through, his sunken eyes pale and yellow. Sora immediately dislikes him, and glares from his position on the ground, raising his head. The man notices that he is awake.

"Finally decided to wake up, did you?" he sneers. "I could have woken up you far quicker. Lucky for you I wasn't allowed."

"Where am I?" Sora asks instantly, eyes flickering back and forth. The man snickers, and it's a dry, scratchy sound, like sandpaper.

"You're a prisoner of the Hun army now," he tells the boy. "We'll be the ones asking the questions. Hey!" he calls over his shoulder, "The runt's awake!"

Upon his shout heavy footsteps, followed by a set of lighter ones, approach the tent. The large man who almost killed Sora before ducks into the tent, followed by Riku. Sora tries not to let the relief he wants to feel rush into his system upon seeing the silver-haired boy. Riku is his enemy, he reminds himself, and nothing about that has changed.

The massive Hun with sharp, gold eyes studies him for a long moment, before glancing to Riku. "Where is his weapon?"

"Don't worry," Riku assures him, "he won't be able to use it."

This seems enough to satisfy the larger man, and he steps forward, approaching Sora. "Where did they go, boy? Tell us now and we'll spare your life."

Sora glares at the man, struggling uselessly against his bonds. He can detect the presence of magic within them. They are tied far too tightly for it to be anything else. "You'll never find them," he replies evenly, unafraid of the hulking figure in front of him. "And I'll never tell you."

The large man glances behind him at Riku, who in turn shrugs his shoulders with a look that seems to say 'I told you so.'

"Very well," he says, gazing once more at Sora. Sora tenses, expecting him to pull out his sword and end his life at any moment, but after a beat the large man leaves the tent, indicating for the thinner one to follow. His subordinate seems just as perplexed, but with a side-long glance to Riku he leaves as ordered.

It is just he and Riku in the tent now.

Riku steps closer to him after gazing out of the crack in the tent to make sure everyone is a good distance away, and kneels before him, studying him closely. Sora glances to the places where Riku's wounds are, noting they have been bandaged and concealed well. Riku moves with such slight hesitancy only the keen eye would notice.

"Why can't I summon the keyblade?" Sora asks, wide blue eyes on Riku's green. His voice is quieter now, soft with the intimacy they share even though they fight on opposite sides.

Riku reaches into his pocket and extracts a small vial, the contents of which are a dark red. Half is gone. "It destabilizes your magical capacity. Your capabilities have been suspended as of now."

Sora's brows furrow as he tries to decode Riku's words. "You've poisoned my body?"

"More or less," Riku's expression shows no emotion.

Sora's confused look shifts into one of anger, and he lurches forward against his bonds, momentarily surprising Riku (who shifts back a bit). "How long before it wears off?" he asks, still struggling vainly, "An hour? Two? I know your magic has limits too, Riku."

"I didn't make the potion, Sora," Riku replies. "Maleficent did."

This makes Sora pause. He ceases his struggle and sits back, staring at Riku. "How long?" he asks again, this time more quietly.

"A single drop's enough to deaden the average magic user's abilities for a day." Riku glances at the bottle. "I gave you half of the bottle."

Sora slumps after hearing this information, closing his eyes for a moment. It's no use. I'll be unable to get away for days, if not weeks. His eyes shoot open. "What do you want?"

"You know what I want."

"I'm not telling you where she is," Sora bites back, glare returning. "You can feed me that whole bottle or just poison me until I die. You know I won't tell you."

Riku sighs heavily. "I thought you might say that." Pushing himself to his feet, he brushes the dirt off of his pants and makes as if to leave. He glances back over his shoulder at Sora. "It's just one girl. Think about whether it's worth it to you, Sora."

I could ask you the same thing, Sora thinks, as he watches Riku leave.

---

"Show us that weapon of yours again."

Riku does not feel comfortable with these people. It has been two days, and he has learned much about their culture and beliefs, many of which would be horrifying to him a short while ago. Now that he has seen more of the world and witnessed what the reality of evil really is, he is left unshaken. But all the same, he can feel the darkness radiating off of them and it does nothing to soothe him. He may be a part of the darkness but he does not want to peer into these men and see himself in them in a few years.

Lifting a hand, he summons the keyblade as asked, and holds it in front of him. Some of the men stare in confusion, still unable to accept things like magic, but Shan-Yu takes the blade from him, weighing it in his grasp and gazing upon it with knowledgeable eyes.

"It is light as a feather," he says with surprise. "Yet when I fought the boy it felt as powerful as my own sword."

The others mutter amongst themselves, eyes riveted on the weapon.

"It's not made like most weapons," Riku tries to explain, though as soon as he starts in about magic many of the men shuffle and glance around uncomfortably. They do not trust him anymore than he trusts them, and nearly all of them dislike him bringing up the subject. Only Shan-Yu seems to give him absolute attention; and Riku has to admit it is not encouraging. "It is infused with a power that is not material. Mine feeds off of darkness. Sora's off of light."

"And by this darkness and light you do not mean actual darkness and light." Shan-Yu assumes.

"Right," Riku rubs the back of his neck and glances up at the moon. It's so very bright in this world sometimes it's hard to distinguish between night and day. It reminds him a little of Destiny Islands, because the stars had always been bright there and the moon had seemed so close to the earth it was as if it were falling. "It's the darkness and light inside of people."

Some of the men mutter again, and this time Riku detects some scoffing. It does not matter to him, and he merely waits for Shan-Yu to finish studying his blade and hand it back.

"Why such a strange shape?" he questions, turning it in his hands.

"It unlocks worlds," Riku answers, and this time catches the snickering of the men.

"Are you really going to tolerate such nonsense, sir?" one of the soldiers interjects, at the end of his rope.

"Would you like me to test the weapon out on you to see if it is indeed real?" Shan-Yu asks calmly, not even looking up from his inspection of Riku's weapon.

This silences the dissenter, but Riku can tell they are still not satisfied. He knows why. Shan-Yu has quietly given him reign to 'break' Sora how he sees fit, but he has yielded nothing yet and the men are very dissatisfied with the delay. Riku knows Shan-Yu hasn't even explained the situation to them yet. Amazingly, none have even questioned his decision to set up camp and remain stagnant even when they are so close to their goal. These men are afraid of him, enough so they would probably follow his instructions even if he told them to leap off of a cliff to certain death. Fear immobilizes people and makes them unable to make their own decisions.

Shan-Yu does not have this affect on Riku. It is perhaps for that reason the man has taken such an interest in him and tolerated him enough to hear him out in the first place. Riku is not even sure himself if Shan-Yu believes him. He only knows the frightening leader has allowed him a lot of leeway so far, and he half-expects him to end it at any moment and take matters back into his own hands again.

He wonders if all of this is just because he intrigues Shan-Yu. It is a frightening thought, but one he isn't willing to dismiss completely. He is the type of man to drop everything on a whim if he wishes. After all, he's told Riku himself the only reason the Huns decided to invade China and slaughter its people to begin with was because they were offended that the emperor would build a wall barring them from entry. To start a war over such a triviality is madness; but it is exactly what Shan-Yu would do.

"Has the boy talked yet?" Another one of the soldiers speaks up after awhile, when the conversation about war and politics has died down to a murmur.

"Not as of yet," Shan-Yu replies readily, giving a sidelong glance to Riku who stares into the fire without speaking.

"It's been two days!" the warrior complains, "Let Lei have him. Surely he can break him within an hour."

Lei looks very content with that decision, and smiles nastily.

"You can't break him physically," Riku snaps, irritation starting to get the better of him. He raises his eyes to glare impatiently at the one who spoke.

"There are ways to break his body as well as his mind," the soldier says with a sneer, and in the firelight his eyes gleam eerily.

All of the men laugh as if a particularly crude joke has just been told, but Riku doesn't understand his meaning. He looks to Shan-Yu, hoping something in the man's expression will clarify what has just happened, but he is only smirking and staring into the fire, poking at the embers with a stick.

Riku tries to ignore the men after this, closing his eyes to plan his next words to Sora. Trying to get him to spill about the girl is a fairly impossible task, but Riku is still refusing to give up all hope. After all, if anyone can get Sora to talk, it's him.

The men start to disperse as the fire dies down; heading to their respective tents to sleep or disappearing into the woods to stand sentry even though the barrier is enough to guard them all. It soothes them, Shan-Yu said, to follow routine.

Just because he is not afraid of all of these new, magical and miraculous things does not mean his men aren't.

"The boy," Shan-Yu begins, and Riku re-opens his eyes, noting that everyone has left. The fire is merely a glow now. "You and he are from the same place."

Riku stops himself from fidgeting just in time. "We are," he says cautiously, wondering what Shan-Yu is getting at.

"You were comrades once, were you not?" Shan-Yu looks from the fire to him, eyes slanted and even more creepy in the darkness.

Riku blinks, surprised, unsure whether to admit to the truth or deny the claim.

"You say his name once too often," Shan-Yu goes on, his lips curling maliciously. "A seasoned warrior would know better." He goes quiet for a moment, and Riku waits.

"The men do not trust you. They feel you are playing us for fools." Shan-Yu stares at him, and the penetrating, narrow gaze is enough to finally make Riku understand why so many fear him. "For your sake, I hope they are wrong." His words are cold; final.

"Why would I help capture him in the first place if I was on his side?" Riku asks.

Shan-Yu's smile is grim. "Do not speak to me like I am an infant. You are protective of him. Lei would have broken him." He sees Riku begin to protest and holds up a hand to silence him. "Do not argue. You are both still children, and your youth deceives you."

"I have deduced ..." he pauses, scratching his chin thoughtfully, "that he is either your absolute enemy or your ally. Whichever it is, you are careful to keep him to yourself."

Riku feels tricked, even though everything Shan-Yu says is the truth and it's his own damn fault for treating these people like idiots. He keeps forgetting that magic is not the only thing that makes someone powerful. He watches Shan-Yu out of the corner of his eye, wondering when the blow will strike.

"Which is it?"

Not expecting Shan-Yu to even bother asking the question, Riku blinks. He realizes he has been tense, ready to summon his keyblade to him, but the inquiry catches him off guard. Not because it's an unexpected question, but because he honestly has trouble deciding the answer. The actual answer, not the one wrapped up in uncertainties and half-truths.

Shan-Yu is watching him carefully now, but he nods slowly after a moment, as if coming to a conclusion even Riku's unaware of. Sitting back on the log he is perched on, Shan-Yu turns his eyes back to the fire. "I was twelve during my first battle," he says in the soft-growl voice Riku has become so used to. "There was a rebellion in my country, and our village was torn nearly neatly in half with opposing sides."

Riku tilts his head curiously to listen.

"My older brother decided to join the opposite side, seeking to stand with the rebellion, feeling the time had come for a revolution. My father gave me weapons and armor, taught me how to fight, and sent me off to kill him."

Shan-Yu grows quiet for a long moment, and then turns his gaze on Riku. "I was always stronger than my brother," he admits quietly.

Riku doesn't meet his gaze – doesn't want to – instead unable to stop his eyes from flickering toward the tent that holds Sora. He hates this place, he doesn't want to be here anymore, and he can feel the darkness swell and ebb, licking at his mind and his heart, gleeful because of the company he is currently in.

"There are no ties stronger than the ties of war," Shan-Yu murmurs, his voice murky and as insidious as poison. But the truth in his words is undeniable, and Riku feels himself grow heavy with that knowledge.

The large man pushes himself to his feet, nodding to the tent that contains Sora. "I trust you will break him soon enough." His words are silky and amused, basking in Riku's inner pain. He knows, and it only entertains him.

Riku hates him.

"What ..." he finds himself saying just before Shan-Yu gets out of hearing range. The older man pauses, looking over his shoulder. "What did that man mean back there?" Riku is afraid to ask the question, but he has to know. "About breaking the body as well as the mind?"

That unnerving smirk is back on his lips, and Shan-Yu looks thoughtful for a moment. "What does your land call taking a woman to bed against her will?"

"Against her will ...?" Riku repeats, the words hollow.

"Some scars last forever," Shan-Yu informs him, smirk never leaving his face. He's enjoying this.

"A violation," Riku answers finally, regaining himself. His eyes grow hard.

"Do not act so disgusted," Shan-Yu laughs, and the sound grinds itself under Riku's skin. "It is an effective tactic in war. And pleasurable."

Riku looks away, glaring at the ground, gritting his teeth to keep from spitting something hateful at the man. Shan-Yu leaves after studying him with amusement, and Riku swallows hard, telling himself to calm down.

He stands awkwardly to his feet and stares at the tent in which Sora stays tied. Quickly he turns and stumbles away from the area, shoving his gloved hands into his pockets as he walks through the woods. There is no aim or goal, he simply needs to get away.

Is this his side? Is this what he will become? Is this something the darkness inside of him craves?

Yes, the voice hisses, and Riku stops abruptly, gripping his head.

Get out, he demands, closing his eyes tightly. Get out get out get out

You would like it, the voice wraps around him, blankets him just like the darkness. It can do this because it is the darkness. To cross that path, to have such control.

"Never," Riku growls, and suddenly stiffens. He has never spoken aloud to the voice before. Until now, he has convinced himself it is only an illusion. A trick his mind plays on him. "I really am going insane," he tells himself, cold and scared and alone. The woods seem to stretch on for miles, the black branches of the trees twisted and wrong. It echoes and merges with his soul, and he presses a hand over his chest where his heart lies. Where his heart should lie.

Do I still have a heart? he wonders, suddenly unsure. Maybe it's gone. Maybe a heartless tore it out when he entered the darkness all that time ago on Destiny Island. Maybe he is just a heartless and he hasn't realized it yet. After all, they don't seem to know.

You are more than a heartless, the voice whispers. Your Destiny is greater than that.

I don't want it, Riku thinks immediately; quickly.

You cannot lie to yourself. And then: He is your enemy.

Riku can think of no reply to this.

Let the darkness in. Let it give you strength. Stop fighting, Riku. There is no need to fear.

Let it complete you.

Riku shivers, and forces himself to start walking again, as if the physical motion is all that is needed to get away from the other presence inside of his mind; inside of his body. He knows it is pointless to run, but nevertheless he feels if he does not, if he stops for even a moment, it will catch him in its clutches and refuse to let go. Let me in, it whispers constantly. Let me give you the power you seek.

He wishes he was only crazy.

---

It has been four days. He knows because Riku comes in exactly once a day; and he comes in at approximately the same time. The sun is always down when he comes, so technically this could be the fifth day, but somehow Sora doubts this.

He doubts it because if it was the fifth day he would be dead.

Riku once told him when they were camping and Sora was nervous because they didn't have any food, that people could go weeks without food.

"How?" Sora asks.

"You get energy off of your own body fat and muscles," Riku says, smiling. "Don't you know that, silly?"

Sora blushes a little, embarrassed. "No," he admits.

"It's water you have to be careful about," Riku explains as he gazes up into the branches of a tree. "Luckily we have plenty of that."

"How long can you go without water?" Sora asks, tipping his head.

"Only about three or four days, I think," Riku says. "Hey Sora, lift me up here, huh? I think I see some bananas!"

Sora remembers the time dimly, his eyes half-hooded and his head drooping. His system is screaming for hydration but he can do nothing to give it what it needs. The bonds around his hands have never felt tighter, and he feels his body giving up; proclaiming its defeat.

Has it really been four days ...? He feels as if he's been here for four weeks. He drifts in and out of consciousness, his dreams intermixing with reality. He's not even sure what's real anymore and what's not. He has never felt this worn-down in his entire life.

He really wonders if he might just die here.

There's something evil lurking inside of the men, something wrong in the very air that Sora has trouble defining. His heart warns him against this place, and it feels as if all the atoms in his body are telling him to fight with all he can give to escape.

Sora has seen evil before, in the manic gleam of others' power-hungry eyes, each and every one of them focusing on nothing but destruction in order to get their greedy hands on what they want.

But there's a difference between all those of the before and these men here. These men aren't madmen. There's no insanity in their gazes – they have full control of themselves and their thoughts. They don't lack consciences, nor are their brains so twisted and demented they have forgotten what good even is.

These men are evil simply because they want to be evil.

Sometimes, when they come into the tent he's tied up in to gather supplies, the sinister looks they give him contain a hunger Sora has only seen once before. And, like many times with Riku, Sora tried his best to forget that incident. It frightens him because he doesn't fully understand their intentions, and the unknown is worst of all.

They're doing something to Riku, too. Sora can detect it because Riku has been fidgety and strange, absent-minded and not all there. His eyes have grown cloudy and mute, and when he comes to talk to Sora he looks through him, interrogating him tonelessly, and stalking out without a backward glance when Sora fails to give him anything substantial.

Sora constantly tries to focus on his keyblade. He calls to the light, repetitively, asking for strength, desperation building hour after hour, but it's not helping. The bonds that tie his hands, the poison in his system, and the very atoms in the air around him crush his soul and hurt his heart. It's not just the lack of water, or the lack of food – but food's not as important, he remembers, it's water he needs, water – it's also the unseen enemy force which always tries to get the better of him, always tries to suck him up like it did Riku.

But he is not Riku.

He knows Riku sees this, and the silver-haired boy is cracking. He expected Sora to give up once his body started crying out for the supplements it needed to survive, he expected Sora to tell him what he wanted or at least give him some sort of compromise. Instead, Sora remains tight-lipped and says nothing, defiance and determination shining steadily in his eyes, eyes that are slowly losing their light but will never lose their courage.

If he dies, he will die without betraying his friends. He will die with the knowledge that Goofy, Donald, and Mulan are still safe, and that they can forge onward even without him. He trusts them, and they are very strong. They will fight as hard as he did, and they will win because good will always conquer evil in the end. Sora will not accept it any other way.

Footsteps outside the tent are vague, more vague than they should be, but Sora is barely conscious and doesn't even lift his head when the flap of the tent is pushed aside and someone enters. He is surprised, but only slightly, that he can detect Riku's presence without trying to. Had he always been able to do that? He can't remember, but his brows furrow lightly as he tries to, his lids sunken over his eyes and the dull brown color of the earth the only thing that's ever in his vision anymore, besides darkness.

He hears the crunch of Riku's boots as he approaches, and then a soft whoosh as he kneels before Sora to peer at him, assessing his condition. Sora doesn't look up. Even if he wanted to, he's not sure if he can anymore without his head swimming. Only when he feels gloved fingers underneath his chin, tilting his head up, does he bother to look into Riku's eyes.

He's almost jealous of how healthy and calm Riku looks, but pushes that aside. That is one of the side-affects of his body's desperation. He identifies them and then carefully gets rid of them, because they make him weak and it is important for him to stay strong, especially in front of Riku. Riku will pick up on any thread of defeat he feels.

Green eyes study his for a long, intense moment, and then Riku speaks, voice low and reasonable, repeating the same words as always, words that coax and nudge at him, trying to get him to open up and talk, words that end in promises, tempting promises, deceptive promises. Sora wonders why Riku thinks at some point Sora will listen and comply, because Riku isn't dumb and he should know Sora better – should know Sora would never become a traitor.

But he doesn't, a voice reminds him, he thinks you betrayed him.

Sora remembers. And that hasn't changed, even though Sora tried to tell Riku the truth, tried to tell him what really happened, but Riku has always been stubborn and that won't change. He won't listen to Sora, everything he's done and everything he's become is because of that day, and he has to believe that Sora did betray him because if not he will have lost everything.

I didn't betray you, Sora thinks, staring into Riku's sharp, green eyes, I didn't. But saying that would be pointless, even now, especially now, so he doesn't. He doesn't listen to what Riku is saying, either, and he knows Riku knows this, but even so Riku goes through the motions like every other day, pausing when he is done and waiting – for what, Sora doesn't know, a change maybe, a sign that Sora will cave.

"Sora ..." Riku says, and Sora will never get over how Riku says his name, in a hushed whisper like a plea; like a prayer. It communicates so many more things than what he says aloud, what he growls to threaten Sora or what he states to remind Sora they're on opposite sides, always on opposite sides. Riku doesn't seem to know how to say all those other things, things that Sora can hear in one word, in just four letters – in his name – things that make him want to cry sometimes because Riku hurts him far more than anything else in all of the worlds Sora's visited. Hurts him more than any heartless or any bad guy or anything the darkness could possibly conjure up. Riku says things like save me with his eyes, and Sora wishes he could. He would give up everything to do just that.

But he can't, and that's the most painful thing of all.

Riku is still staring at him and Sora suddenly feels a surge of desperation grip him; because death is close and he can feel it and when Riku leaves this time it will be the last time. Whoever is looking at him right now is not Riku, it can't be, because Riku wouldn't do this to him. Not the same Riku who told him ... who told him ...

Sora hasn't spoken in so long he has to try several times before he can actually find his voice.

"Riku." He winces at the sound of his own voice, which is dry and cracked, like dead leaves. It's so hoarse it's not much more than a whisper, but Riku's eyes go wide, and Sora knows he's heard. "Riku, I need water."

Sora feels ashamed for admitting this, for not being stronger. He tried, he tried so hard, to beat Riku at his own game, but he realizes he has no other choice but to give up. He can't die – not here, not now. He is the Keyblade Master, and he has worlds to save and people to protect. He has to survive. He must survive.

He gathers whatever energy he has left to look steadily into the silver-haired boy's eyes, trying to reach him with his heart. He doesn't want to see this shell-Riku anymore, this changed person in front of him that's been drained of whatever life he had before because of this place. Riku's suffering, too, he can see it, and he wants to whisper it's alright and we'll make it out of this, but he's just so tired and honestly he doesn't know if that's true anymore.

"You told me you loved me," Sora whispers, and it hurts his throat so much he nearly starts coughing. His eyes sting for an entirely different reason than his throat.

Riku jerks his gloved hand away from Sora's chin as if he's been burned, eyes wider than Sora has ever seen them. The shock changes him; the cloudiness fades and suddenly he's squeezing his eyes shut as if in pain and tearing at his hair with his hands. He's struggling against something, and there's a wildness about him that makes Sora want to shrink away and reach out at the same time. Sora realizes he's afraid. He's afraid of Riku.

Riku lets out a sharp hiss of pain that may or may not be a word, and then he's dropped his hands, fingers clawing deep trenches in the dirt of the ground, before he pushes himself to his feet. He leaves the tent, the only indication he was ever there the rustle of the flap that covers the entrance.

Sora feels like crying.

---

Sora's fading.

Riku's amazed he's made it this far, he really is. A lesser person would have confessed anything and everything by now, not because they were weak-minded but because once the body gives in, the mind is forced to obey it. All of that foolishness about mind over matter is just a fanciful lie. Riku knows this well enough by now after all he's been through. It doesn't matter how strong you think your will power is, you are still trapped by your body. Eventually all paths lead to death – everyone's so much more fragile than they'd like to believe.

He's always viewed Sora as fragile. That lithe, young body and expressive blue eyes give him away every time. Sora can't hide his tears; he's never learned how. Whatever he's feeling is shown on his face, lips taut and brows furrowed. When he's hurt he winces, when he's happy he laughs, when he's feeling gloomy his shoulders hunch and his eyes darken to a color that reminds Riku of the depths of the ocean. His skin flushes easily and readily, and when he smiles, it's brighter than sunlight.

Sora is not fragile.

For some reason this realization hits him late, and he's left to wonder when and where the boy he knew changed so much. Or maybe it's just him that's changed, and Sora has grown up and left him behind. He never expected to look into those eyes and see not a boy, but a man staring back at him. Sora meets his gaze squarely, with no fear and utter calm, and what he says is loud and clear without him ever speaking a word at all.

I am stronger than you.

Riku feels nothing but disbelief, because this is not how it should be. He's always been the one to look after and protect Sora. He's always been the one to teach him things he didn't know. He feels as if his world has been turned upside-down, and that somewhere he missed a step and fell, and Sora continued on steadily. Because Sora's not just stronger than him. Sora is better than him. And when he sees Sora, eyes desperate and voice hoarse, reaching out to him even though Riku has offered him nothing, absolutely nothing, any and all superiority he may have felt before drains away. He feels only shame.

Sora's words trigger memories he's pushed back, and the voice in his head hisses and clashes with his own thoughts and feelings in a way Riku can't take, because it feels like there's two sides of him trying to rip him apart. He's felt it getting stronger, that voice – that darkness – ever since he's been here, and it surges inside of him violently, forcefully. He tears at his hair because it's all he can do to try and neutralize the pain with another, and hisses and growls and tries to shove it out, but it's impossible because it's already sunk so far down into him. It's curled inside of him, claws digging into the soft tissues of his body, gleaming yellow eyes shining in the back of his mind.

He stands to his feet and lurches out of the tent, summoning his keyblade even though there is nothing tangible for him to attack. He hears the voice whisper kill him and freezes, staring back toward the tent with blazing green eyes, gloved hand tightening around the grip of his blade. The power within it whirls and murmurs, excited at the prospect of spilling blood, any blood, and when he finally comes to as if out of a daze he realizes he's panting, chest heaving with shaky breaths.

Riku raises the blade, pressing the sharp edge against his own throat. He thinks about it, how easy it would be to end everything before he's seized completely and can't even control his own destiny anymore. He feels the darkness still in surprise, and almost laughs insanely because of it. The darkness, afraid? That isn't possible.

He waits for another second, but the voice is silent, quelled by his actions, and Riku thinks I'm still here with relief. He touches his throat, wiping away the thin stream of blood with gloved fingers where he let the blade bite too deeply.

In control of his own mind, Riku suddenly feels the weight of everything he's done settle over him like a poisonous haze. He turns toward the tent, swallowing hard, and thinks of the small form curled inside of it, head-to-chest, spiky chestnut hair dull and clumped, falling into eyes that are misted over from so much abuse.

He lets the keyblade disappear, feeling the solid grip in his hand suddenly become weightless and cease to exist, and squashes the panicky feeling before it can grip him completely. He is free to do whatever he needs to do later, even if it is suicide. He has enough power over himself to make that decision, at least. But he can't right now. He has to forget about his own problems, his own demons, in favor of someone he should have protected long ago. I know he can't forgive me, he thinks, but Riku is no longer asking for his sins to be washed away. He knows he is beyond forgiveness. As long as he can save Sora from himself, just this one time, it will have been enough.

When he re-enters the tent for the second time, it is early in the morning, hours before sunrise. His muscles are cramped from waiting and worrying, knowing how badly off Sora is and unable to do anything about it until the opportune moment presents itself. He wastes no time in gliding through the flap and into the tent, collapsing on his knees in front of the other boy who is hanging forward, only held up by his binds, eyes closed and breathing shallowly.

But at least he is still breathing.

Riku reaches out to shake Sora's shoulder gently, calling his name. When this does not work he shakes harder, and finally scoots forward in the dirt and takes the boy's chin in his hand, producing a canteen of cold water attached to his side and uncapping it with his teeth, tilting Sora's head up and tipping the canteen to let water dribble over his lips. Sora's eyelashes don't so much as flutter, and Riku growls in frustration, quickly pulling the black glove off of one of his hands and dipping his forefinger and middle finger into the canteen, wetting them with water. He forces them into Sora's mouth, as gentle as possible in such a situation, and waits with baited breath.

There is the lightest pressure against his fingers, and Sora's tongue touches his skin, his lips tightening as he sucks instinctively. Riku immediately pulls his fingers out of Sora's mouth, pouring more water onto them, and pushes them in again, his heart beating fast with relief when the other boy suckles with more vigor this time. Sora's eyelids flutter, but his eyes do not open. Riku gradually shifts to placing the tip of the canteen against Sora's lips and lets him drink the water straight, stroking Sora's hair with his free hand as the boy swallows with increasing awareness.

When Riku pulls the canteen away, Sora's eyes do open this time, heavy-lidded and somewhat delirious, but focusing after a few moments on Riku.

"More," Sora croaks; a soft, little whimper escaping.

"I can't give you more. You'll get sick." Riku caps the canteen and tucks it away, summoning his keyblade to cut the binds around Sora's wrists. Sora falls forward but Riku catches him, lifting him as he stands, his arms tight around Sora's waist.

Sora's breathing is shallow and quick; weak, short breaths against Riku's neck. He makes another noise and moves to pull away, but when he stumbles and almost falls again Riku draws him back against his chest and holds him until he goes still.

"I'm getting you out of here."

Sora doesn't protest, but since he's heavy against Riku, Riku decides he is asleep. With a little trouble he hefts the unconscious boy into his arms, grunting slightly with exertion. Sora is light, but even so it takes time for Riku to escape the tent and move quickly to the woods where the horse he stole is tied up waiting. Riku lifts Sora into the saddle first, before hopping lightly on after him, securing an arm firmly around his waist before snagging the reigns in the other hand. Sora's back presses against him, his head lolling to one side, eyes still closed. Riku checks his pulse nervously before he's satisfied, clicking his tongue softly and kicking the horse in the side, moving at a trot until he's reached the edge of the camp, forcing the horse into a gallop as soon as he's outside the vicinity.

It's snowing, dark, and gusts of wind whip Riku's face as they ride. His arm grows tired quickly as Sora repetitively slips, forcing Riku to hold onto him all the more tightly. All of these things are bothersome, but not impossible to ignore, because the further they get from the Huns' camp, the better Riku feels. He is just about to readjust his grip on Sora and urge the horse faster when something heavy slams into them from the side, toppling the horse over and sending both Riku and Sora flying.

Riku tucks himself into a roll to reduce damage to his body, pushing himself to his feet immediately and calling his blade. Sora, he notes, has landed in a heap ten feet away, and the horse lies unmoving.

He isn't surprised that he was followed. Even more, he isn't surprised when it is Shan-Yu that stands to his feet as if birthed from the snow, shaking off white powder from his broad shoulders and dark hair, broad sword unsheathed from its place on his back. The two regard each other for a few moments, and in those moments the wind picks up and the snow begins to fall heavier.

"I told you not to betray us," Shan-Yu murmurs in his cold snake-voice. "Now I will kill both you and the boy you are so willing to give your life to protect."

"Is it just you?" Riku wonders aloud, glancing around carefully. He knows Shan-Yu could have easily brought others; but he isn't sure if he could have strategically placed them in such a short time.

Shan-Yu doesn't reply. Instead, he strikes surprisingly swiftly for someone so heavy; his blade whistling as it slices through the air . Riku parries immediately, jumping back and letting the keyblade sing as well, his arms shaking with the force of Shan-Yu's weight as their weapons meet and clash with echoing clangs of metal on metal, loud enough to hear for miles around.

Riku is fast; faster than Sora and faster than Shan-Yu, but the man is wearing strong armor and Riku can't do nearly as much damage with his blade as Shan-Yu does with his. He gets hit once, hard, on the shoulder, and goes stumbling back, nearly dropping his weapon. Shan-Yu gives him no ground before he's swooping down again, backhanding him viciously with a fist before jutting his sword forward, intending to bury it in Riku's stomach.

Riku blocks as well as he can, twists out of the path and lets go with a fire spell powerful enough to melt the snow twenty feet around them. He notes the way Shan-Yu's eyes widen right before he leaps to get out of the way, but the man rolls as he's on the ground and when he comes up he is only singed.

"Using your sorcerer's tricks and cheats won't win you this fight!" Shan-Yu yells, and redoubles his effort, swinging and cutting with his sword, powerful strokes that throw Riku nearly to the ground every time he raises his blade to block them. There isn't much more he can take, and finally he retreats, intending to gain some distance between them and fight the man with magic alone.

As soon as he leaps backwards, however, something pierces his lower back, cutting deep, and he gasps with pain, going down on one knee.

It's an arrow, and it's embedded deep.

Cursing, Riku gets to his feet to move quickly, dodging another one of Shan-Yu's attacks, casting a barrier spell around himself to attempt to ward off any more arrows. He can feel blood seeping from the wound in his back, and he's worried that it's pierced something because every time he takes a step pain courses through his system so fiercely he feels dizzy. With no time to recover, or even cast a curing spell, he is enveloped in the fight with Shan-Yu once more, only this time he is distracted and it isn't long before the barrier spell grows weak and another arrow hits his left shoulder.

Riku leaps to a distance, turning his back on Shan-Yu for a moment to release another spell, this one thunder, at the trees, watching with grim satisfaction as screams light the air. Trees are good conductors of electricity, and those men Shan-Yu organized to hide in the branches are no longer going to be a problem.

A strong kick to his back sends him to his knees, and he screams as Shan-Yu twists the arrow in his back, yanking it out viciously. A heavy foot pushes him into the snow, immobilizing him on his stomach. Riku breathes heavily, tasting blood in his mouth from biting his own tongue, and grips his keyblade tightly, gathering his energy to move.

"Whatever you did to my men I am going to do to you ten times over," Shan-Yu whispers, and it takes a moment for Riku to realize that his right side feels numb, numb in a way that means Shan-Yu planned this out more than he thought. Feeling panicked, he transfers the keyblade into his left hand, panting heavily as he twists to get free, rolling to the side and getting up sluggishly.

"Shit," he murmurs, already feeling the numbing sensation traveling into his arm and leg.

Shan-Yu watches him with interest, like someone watching a rat struggle in its last throes, and Riku fights not to fall, digging in his pockets for a potion that's not there.

"Did you really think I would ever trust an outsider such as yourself?" Shan-Yu reaches into his own pocket and pulls out a vial containing potion, studying it. "I assume this is what you're looking for?"

"I didn't realize you barbarians were advanced enough to use poison-tipped arrows," Riku says thickly, staring at the potion, before getting a hold of himself and gripping the shaft of the arrow in his shoulder, ripping it out with a gasp of pain, snapping the arrowhead off of the arrow before discarding the broken shaft to the ground. Shan-Yu does not see him tuck the arrowhead into his pocket.

"You underestimated us from the beginning," Shan-Yu replies, and uncaps the potion, tilting it and letting it pour onto the ground. There's a malicious smile on his face, and Riku knows he's enjoying every moment Riku's possible cure trickles away.

Riku touches the keyblade to his side and whispers the cure spell, but the poison has already seeped out much of his magical energy as well as his strength, and what little he gains back is not enough to stop it from spreading. He raises his eyes to Shan-Yu and lifts his keyblade.

"Well, since it's just you and I now, I'd say we get this over with." There is nothing left to do but fight, and as he glances quickly over to Sora, he sees the boy is still collapsed where he fell, a blanket of snow slowly beginning to coat him. If Riku dies, Sora will die also. And Riku cannot allow that to happen.

Even if the poison will surely kill him in the next couple of minutes.

This time when they meet Riku surprises Shan-Yu with his recklessness, slashing without blocking, cutting forth without any hesitation. He is already dead, and there isn't any way he is going to allow Shan-Yu to survive. He will bring the man down with him.

The recklessness pays off, because as Shan-Yu's blade cuts into his side, Riku's sinks into his gut, the both of them shaking and bleeding; Shan-Yu cursing him with his eyes and his tongue as he attempts to hack deeper. Riku's eyes narrow and he pulls his blade out, slicked with blood, only to plunge it back in again, ignoring the fact Shan-Yu is cutting through flesh, muscle, and bone.

"You crazy bastard," Shan-Yu snarls, eyes wide in both pain and fear, fear that Riku really is just that and won't move away to save his own life. Riku does nothing more than shove his blade deeper, Shan-Yu's arm twitching as he twists his sword in Riku's side, dark blood seeping into Riku's shirt. He's hit something; an organ of some sort, and his eyes glint victoriously as Riku collapses back, coughing up blood heavily, tremors rolling through his body.

"I told you, you would not win," Shan-Yu says, and marches over to Riku, hand pressed to his side where Riku's blade sank deep, trying to stem the flow of blood. Riku stares up at him dizzily, blinking slowly, not moving as Shan-Yu raises his sword high above his head, preparing to deliver the finishing blow.

Most of Riku just wants to know why the bad guys always like to be so flashy when it comes to finishing things off, but this part of him also wants to sleep. Instead, Riku lunges up before Shan-Yu can even blink, gripping the arrowhead in his hand, sinking it right into the wound his keyblade created. His fingers get coated in warm blood and tissue, and though it's a shock to his system Shan-Yu's howl is what wakes him up the most, and the man stumbles back, digging the arrowhead out, staring at it in disbelief.

"You – you – "

"Bet you wish you hadn't poured that potion out now, don't you?" Riku's chuckling; lying on his back and staring dazedly at the sky. "Irony's a bitch, isn't it?"

He hears Shan-Yu collapse a few feet away from him, moaning miserably. The poison's hitting him quickly due to how deep the arrowhead went, and in all truth he probably would have bled to death even without it. Riku isn't sure he should have even bothered with the arrowhead, but it was an amusing addition, and one he's sure Shan-Yu won't forget. Not that he's going to last much longer anyway.

It's quiet, except for the twitching and twisting around Shan-Yu's doing, the poison attacking his body differently than Riku's for reasons unknown to the silver-haired boy. Riku doesn't feel anything but numb and tired, but it's an odd sensation to actually feel your heart slowing down in your chest, and know that you are going to die when it stops.

Sora, Riku thinks, or says, he doesn't know, but the name itself serves to partially wake him up, and he opens his eyes, not even realizing he closed them, surprised at first by the world of gray that meets his sight until he remembers where he is.

Riku.

It's nice, Riku decides, to dream before you die. Especially when you dream about the one person you wish to see before you're lost in darkness forever. Dreams, Riku knows, are often random and make little sense, but there is no one he'd rather see hovering over him than Sora. Sora, with his spiky hair and deep, blue eyes. Sora's hand touching his face. Riku wishes he could feel Sora's touch and soak up the warmth, but he also knows that in dreams sometimes there is no sensation.

"I'm sorry, Sora," Riku says to this dream-Sora, needing to apologize at least once, even to a figment of his imagination. If he apologizes in his dreams at least, then he might be able to rest in peace. "I'm sorry I betrayed you. I love you. I'll always love you."

Sora lies against him, his cheek pressing against Riku's, his hair brushing Riku's face. Riku supposes it should tickle, but it doesn't, and he's not sure he's breathing anymore so he doesn't try to inhale.

You're bleeding.

"I'm dying," Riku says softly; sadly.

I won't let you.

"It's alright," Riku hushes him, because Sora's fingers dig into his shoulders, and there's the quietest sob against his ear. Riku feels sad that even now in his dream Sora has to cry for him, and he shakes his head slowly, sluggishly. "Smile. Just once more. Please."

Sora lifts his head, staring down at him, his eyes wet and glinting beautifully. Everything's always so beautiful in dreams, and Sora is more radiant than Riku has ever seen him. Slowly, Sora's lips tilt upwards, and he smiles. He leans down, his lips brushing Riku's, and whispers something.

There is a blinding flash of green light, which Riku finds odd for death – because death is supposed to be white, or even black, but not green – and then everything is cold.

Very cold.

Too cold to be death.

Riku opens his eyes. Above him, snow swirls down from a grey sky. There's something heavy on his chest, and his back feels cold and wet.

Slowly, dazedly, Riku pushes himself up on his elbows. Glancing down, he recognizes Sora, who is resting on top of him, unconscious but breathing. Riku's fingers find their way into Sora's hair, and he inhales shakily.

"I'm not dead," he says quietly. He spots the large body of Shan-Yu, collapsed on his side, unmoving. Everything else is as silent as the grave. Only the wind, which whistles through the trees gives the moment any semblance of reality.

"Sora," Riku says, shaking Sora gently. Sora still doesn't move, and after a moment Riku links his arms underneath Sora's body, pushing himself to his feet and lifting Sora, holding him as he tries to get his bearings.

He is no longer bleeding, and there is no numbness in any of his limbs. He has been cured and he doesn't know how.

Riku looks down at Sora's sleeping face for a long moment before he begins to walk, heading in a random direction and hoping one of Sora's friends will locate him and find them before long.

Riku clutches Sora tightly as a white world swallows them whole.

---

"Sora! Sora!"

Sora wakes up to a world of faces all crowding around him.

"Ack!" Sora yells, jerking upright, heart beating fast.

"Whoa!" Goofy, Donald, Mushu, the cricket, and Mulan's horse all jump back, looking just as startled as him.

"Don't do that!" Sora exclaims, letting out a breath, only to be crushed into a hug by Donald and Goofy in the next moment, yelping quietly as he's squeezed to death.

"We thought we'd lost you!"

"Don't do that to us again!"

"You're such an idiot sometimes!"

"Guys, guys, I'm ok!" Sora laughs, pushing them off and rubbing the back of his neck, blushing in embarrassment. "See?" He smiles wide, gazing around at them, blinking as Mushu slithers up his neck to perch on his head and poke his nose.

"You're crazier than my girl and about half the brains!"

Sora scowls up at Mushu, who grins good-naturedly, patting him on the cheek.

"Thanks, though. You really helped us out back there."

Sora nods, smile returning, before glancing around. "Wait, where's Mulan?"

Donald's face grows stony. "Keeping an eye on the prisoner."

"Prisoner?" Sora gazes around, realizing they're in a cave, and glances outside into the white world. His eyes widen at the sight of Riku on his knees just outside the cave, hands tied behind his back. Mulan's sword is hovering close to his throat, and there is a grave expression on her face.

"Wait! What'd you tie him up for!" Sora jerks his head toward Goofy and Donald. Goofy looks away, but Donald is glaring.

"What do you mean why did we tie him up? He tried to kill you!"

"That doesn't matter! He's my friend!" Sora slips off of the rock he was lying on, upsetting Mushu, who hops off of his head onto the horse, looking just as surprised as the rest of them.

"I think you had a blow to the head, kid," Mushu offers, but Sora's not listening, already dashing out of the cave.

The cold hits him as soon as he's outside, and Mulan glances up, looking uncertain. Sora motions her away and hesitantly she moves back, studying him.

Riku's head is hanging and he's staring at the ground. Sora drops to his hands and knees in front of Riku and peers at him. When Riku raises his head, his green eyes are unreadable, his gaze steady. He looks guarded.

"Riku ..." Sora says, unable to say anything more. A lump forms in his throat, and without warning he leaps at Riku, wrapping his arms around the boy's neck and burying his face against his shoulder. "I'm so glad you're ok!"

Riku doesn't react, staring past Sora at the others watching them. Some look angry, some look confused, but after a moment Mulan steps forward. Riku tenses as she lifts her sword, but she only cuts his bonds, freeing his hands. They regard each other silently for a moment, before Riku wraps his arms around Sora's waist and holds onto him tightly. He turns his head to press his nose into Sora's hair and closes his eyes, blocking out the world in favor of the scrawny boy in his arms.

Neither of them speak. There is nothing to say.

---

The stay in the cave is short. Sora relates what happened to his friends, and while Donald looks dubious and Mushu looks annoyed that his plans for Mulan were foiled, Mulan is grateful and everyone agrees that Riku can stay – Donald taking the most time to convince.

Sora is happy. He holds Riku's hand and swings it, and he smiles readily at the older boy, using all of his free time to ramble about his adventures and talk about things neither of them had time to talk about before. Riku listens, patiently and quietly, but he is distracted, and Sora catches him staring off into space more than once. Sora fills up the voids with words, talking and saying nothing, keeping a steady grip on Riku's hand. He doesn't admit to himself that he's afraid to let go.

They visit the emperor of China, who is an old, kind man who Sora immediately likes. Riku kneels with the rest of them, but he keeps his eyes down as he is thanked for ridding the Chinese emperor of Shan-Yu.

Sora is delighted to see Mulan given the greatest honor for destroying the Hun army, and his heart fills with happiness to see her reunited with Shang. It is easy to see they are in love, and it makes him think of Kairi, wondering when and if he'll ever find her. He pushes the thought away when he looks at Riku, studying the silent boy and feeling something heavy in his chest; something he can't define.

Sora refuses to let go of Riku's hand as they travel back to their gummi ship, and feels relieved when Riku doesn't resist boarding, likewise grateful when Donald only scowls and says nothing. He sits next to Riku during the trip back to Traverse Town, and when they arrive Sora finally feels a weight lift off of him that has been pressing him down during their entire stay in China.

Everyone is tired and dragging, and after a quick chat with Donald and Goofy Sora agrees they should rest before heading on their next quest. Riku seems distracted again, but follows Sora willingly when the boy heads for the inn in the Second District, saying nothing when Sora once more holds his hand tightly in his own.

The inn is empty still, which makes it seem eerie at night, but Sora has long since gotten over his fear of the dark, and he knows well enough by now that he has gotten rid of the heartless in that area.

Riku gazes around the room as Sora announces he is going to take a shower, and when the brown-haired boy emerges from the bathroom with a towel tied securely around his waist, Riku is folding away his clothes and peeling off his gloves. Their eyes meet and hold, and Sora searches Riku's gaze, trying to understand what lies there.

"Come here," Riku says, sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed in just his boxers. Sora walks over hesitantly, still toweling his hair dry, and sits down next to him, looking at him questioningly.

Riku raises a hand and lets his fingers brush over the necklace Sora always wears, thumbing the crown on the end of the heavy chain, his eyes drawn to it. Sora lets his hands drop, the towel still draped over his head, and watches Riku's face.

Riku's fingers curl around the crown, and he holds it, raising his eyes to Sora's. Sora knows Riku is going to kiss him but he can't move for some reason, so he only stays still as Riku leans forward and presses his lips against his. Riku's eyes are closed and at this range Sora can see his long, dark lashes, but he is distracted by the boy's wet tongue which runs over his mouth, pressing in.

Sora thinks about turning away but Riku's hand tightens on his necklace and holds him still, his other hand cradling his chin to make sure he doesn't turn his head. Sora gives in and closes his eyes, opening his mouth to Riku and letting the boy kiss him, surprised at the sensation of Riku's tongue rubbing against his.

The kiss is long, and wet, and everything Sora's never experienced before. It makes him feel strange; both scared and eager, but also sad for a reason he can't identify. The sadness overwhelms him suddenly, in the middle of the kiss, and he wrenches his head away, sniffing, wiping at his eyes.

"Shh," Riku says, thumbing Sora's cheek, lifting a hand to slip the towel off of Sora's head. "It's ok." He reaches for the towel around Sora's waist and frees the tucked part of it, wrapping his arms around Sora and pulling him close.

"I know why you're doing this," Sora says, a thread of anger running through his voice, which trembles with emotion. "Don't do this."

"Let me hold you Sora. Please, let me hold you." Riku's grip is strong, and his arms are more muscular than Sora's remembers. He's never let Riku hold him like this before, where all that is touching is their skin, and it's hot and smooth. He can smell the dried sweat on Riku's skin, mixed with the clean-soap smell of his own, and when Riku lies back and pulls Sora with him the towel falls away, landing in a heap on the floor.

Sora braces his hands on either side of Riku's head and keeps himself half-up, wanting to look at Riku, who never looks at him. Riku would rather press his face against his neck and hide his eyes. Sora knows this. What Sora doesn't understand is why Riku won't ever speak to him; really speak to him. With his eyes and with his heart. Sora hasn't felt Riku's heart in a long time.

Riku's hands wander down his shoulders and back, rubbing slowly, soothingly. Sora kisses Riku's cheek tentatively, lingering with his lips against the boy's skin, closing his eyes when Riku's hand slides along his ribs, over his waist to his stomach, touching lightly.

"Don't," Sora says quietly, knowing it's useless. "Don't."

"I love you," Riku whispers into his ear.

"Don't say that." Sora wants to hit him, but instead he hisses through clenched teeth. Riku's hand is sweaty and hot against him, and Sora realizes he's nervous, which is strange because Sora never thought Riku would be nervous about anything. He's the one that should be nervous, nervous about being touched and stroked and kissed in ways he's never even thought about before. But he's not. He's too busy concentrating on the hole in his heart.

"Why shouldn't I say it?" Riku asks quietly, his fingers petting Sora's stomach.

"Because when you say it, it sounds like goodbye."

Riku doesn't reply, and Sora swallows back another lump in his throat, turning his head to rest his cheek against Riku's shoulder. He closes his eyes tightly as Riku's hand moves lower, sucking in a sharp breath as he's touched between his thighs, growing tense in Riku's arms. Riku's mouth is against his neck, kissing freely, lovingly, and his other hand is still rubbing Sora's back, soothing the sore, knotted muscles there.

Riku's hand is sure around Sora's length, pulling in long, firm strokes, causing Sora's hips to jerk reflexively without his permission. Sora turns his head and pants against Riku's shoulder, eyes still shut, mouth dampening Riku's skin. His body feels twisted up and hot, and he doesn't examine the feeling so much as wonder at it, unsure what it means. He isn't sure he wants Riku touching him like that, but he's even less sure he could move away if he tried, and it's not because Riku's too strong for him. Sora's own body refuses to move. His heart feels heavy, but his mind feels light, and when Riku's hand squeezes him he whimpers, dropping his forehead against Riku's shoulder, feeling sticky with sweat already.

"Relax, Sora. Just tonight. Just this once."

Sora shivers, wondering if it's even possible for him to relax, but after a moment Riku's hand releases him and his eyes shoot open in surprise, lifting his head a little to look at Riku. Riku is studying him solemnly, and Sora blushes, suddenly feeling embarrassed. He supposes it should have caught up to him before all of this, but he's never been in charge of his emotions and he sure isn't now.

"I thought it was a dream," Riku says, and Sora looks at him confusedly. "Out in the snow. After I fought Shan-Yu. I thought you were a dream."

Something inside of Sora thrums and suddenly he's smiling. Riku stills beneath him, staring up at him, and Sora's smile falters for a moment, looking at Riku quizzically.

"Riku, what's – "

Riku's hands cup his face, and his thumb presses against Sora's mouth, stopping his words.

"You are my light."

It's soft, barely a whisper, but Sora hears it clearly. His eyes widen at the declaration, and his hands curl where they are against the mattress, gripping the sheets. For a moment, he feels connected with Riku. Completely connected, in a way he's never been with anyone else. He's starting to understand; not completely, but more than he ever has.

"I'll lead you out of the darkness, Riku," he says softly, eyes on Riku's shining green ones. "I'll never give up. Never."

Riku kisses him, and this time Sora kisses back. What they share, Sora still doesn't really know, but he does know one thing. He has to save Riku, and he will. He will because he loves Riku and he'll never give up on someone he loves. When he kisses Riku this time, the feeling there makes his heart swell. There is no emptiness anymore. It's replaced by hope. Riku hasn't let go of him yet.

They press together, trying to meld with one another, and it's still awkward and new – Riku struggles for a moment to get his boxers off – but when they tangle their limbs together and kiss each other deeply it's good, it's so good that all Sora can think about is how it feels to be with Riku like this, naked, hot and needing something he doesn't have a label for. When Riku reaches between them this time he presses both of their erections together and Sora mewls, thrusting inexpertly, mouthing Riku's jaw and licking his neck, following along with the things Riku's doing to him, not really sure what else to try.

He's moaning and panting in the next minute, overwhelmed once more, fighting to keep his eyes open and on Riku's as they move together, straining to hear Riku's soft, gasping breaths and quiet pants, lowering his head so he can kiss the boy this time, losing himself in the warm heat of Riku's mouth. He cries into it a moment later as the sensations become too much and a sweeping feeling of pleasure flows through his body, one which lasts only a few moments before letting him return to himself feeling lethargic and relaxed. Riku's hand bumps his stomach as he strokes himself one more time, arm on Sora's back tightening as he goes tense underneath him, gasping out his own release. Sora hears Riku say his name quietly, tiredly, and there's a kiss to his cheek. He rests his head on Riku's sweaty chest, closing his eyes, surprised at how tired he is suddenly.

He falls asleep with the feeling of Riku's fingers running through his hair and the sound of Riku's heart beating underneath his ear.

Riku studies Sora's sleeping form as he pulls on his gloves, glancing at the moonlight coming through the window of the room. Sora sleeps noisily; he twists and turns and dreams constantly, muttering under his breath and snoring softly every once in awhile. Sometimes he sprawls out and takes up the entire bed, other times he curls up on his side and nearly falls off the edge. He either hogs the covers or kicks them off the bed completely.

Riku could watch him all night.

He reaches into his pocket and touches something cold. Lifting it out he examines the medal the emperor gave him, running a gloved finger over the silver surface. He places it gently on the dresser before walking over to Sora, sitting carefully on the edge of the bed.

Sora is currently on his back, sleeping peacefully, arms thrown above his head. He looks adorable and innocent, even though Riku can still smell the evidence of what they did in the air. Somehow, he thinks Sora doesn't even know what they just shared. In fact, he's sure the boy doesn't realize it. Riku doesn't think it's possible to corrupt Sora. Something protects the boy and holds his innocence within him.

Gently, Riku combs his fingers through Sora's hair, keeping his touch light so as not to wake the other boy. He trails his fingers down Sora's neck to his chest, letting his hand rest over his heart. He feels the heartbeat, even through his glove, and it soothes him for the few moments he allows himself to sit there. Finding Sora's hand, Riku presses something into it, curling Sora's fingers over it so the boy won't release it in his sleep. He leans over and kisses Sora on the lips, lingeringly.

It's time.

"I know," Riku says to the silent room. He gazes at Sora one last time before he gets to his feet, moving across the room to the door. "I'm coming."

---

"Wake up, sleepyhead!"

Sora grumbles, opening his eyes slowly, yawning.

"Put on some clothes!"

Sora blushes at Donald's exclamation, quickly pulling the covers over him, glancing between the two of them. "What're you doing here so early?"

"Early! You slept all day. We finally came in to get you. We haven't seen your pal around either."

Sora blinks, glancing around the room, realizing they're right. Goofy is looking concerned, but Donald only looks smug. Sora tries to ignore the sinking feeling in his heart. It's then that he feels something in his left hand. Confused, he opens it and stares at what's resting in his palm.

"What's that?" Goofy asks, peering closely.

"A keychain," Sora says softly, recognizing the black crown on the end of the chain.

"It looks like your necklace," Donald observes, glancing to Sora's necklace. "Where'd you get it?"

Sora studies the keychain, running a thumb over it. "Riku."

Donald and Goofy exchange looks.

"So ... did he leave?" Goofy asks hesitantly.

"Yeah," Sora says softly, fisting the keychain and looking up at them. He takes in their worried looks. Suddenly, he laughs.

"Don't look so glum guys! How're we going to power the gummi ship with those sad faces?"

Once again Donald and Goofy look surprised, but after a minute they both smile.

"Well, are you ready to get going?" Goofy asks.

"Yeah!" Sora nearly hops out of bed before remembering he's naked. "Oh, uhh ... could you uhm ..."

Donald snickers. "Right. We'll be outside waiting."

"Thanks." Sora blushes, biting his lower lip. He watches Donald and Goofy exit before slipping out of bed, heading to the dresser to find his clothes. As he pulls them on he notices the medal the emperor gave to Riku sitting on the top of the dresser. Reaching out he pockets that too, tucking it away safely.

Studying the keychain one more time, Sora summons his keyblade, swallowing nervously before hooking the keychain onto the loop at the end.

There's a flash and Sora studies the new keyblade before him, amazed at its sleek, black look.

"Whoa. Nice gift, Riku. Called Oblivion, huh." For a moment Sora feels sad, but he shakes it off, remembering what he said the night before. He grips the new keyblade determinedly. "I'll use it to kick your butt."

He feels much better as he joins Donald and Goofy outside, showing off his new keyblade proudly, excitement filling him as they run off to board the gummi ship and visit the next world. He isn't scared anymore. Whatever happens, he'll find his friends. And he'll save Riku.

It's a promise.