(A/N): Hey! Wait! Don't kill me! Sorry, oh I'm soooo sorry I've not uploaded in such a loooooong time, but man if my life have been too... hectic, you could say, through all these months.

On a good note, I have my own place now (yay!) The bad news? It was cheaper living with my family... like waaaaaay cheaper, but oh well.

The fic! well, to be honest... I'm not entirely comfortable with this chapter. I feel it lacks... something, besides that I had to end it before what I had planned, because - one, it's quite long already; and two, because if I pushed myself even further with this I would have given up... block is really a bitch, and the fact that Kog won't be beta-ing this anymore because of... reasons... well, I got a bit depressed, but now I'm back! even with a double upload!

If anyone would like to help me I would gladly accept the help, you don't know how much I stress over making a chapter decent for upload.

Well, back on track, not double upload on this exact fic, but on this one and another KH one I've started, shorter and less serious, true, but it got me working back on this, so yeah... if you have some spare time go and check it, it's called "Taking direct control"

Also, for those who stay 'till the end, once the chapter ends there's a little freebie for you guys.

Once again, thanks for your kind reviews, it was also part of why I returned here despite all, you keep me going guys.

Once again, too, this fic was inspired by Faded Phantom's "Eclipse of the heart" so once you are done reding this go check her fic, it'll be worth your time.

Warning! Here are some slight references to dark themes, even if tinted with some humor, but I still wished to give you the head ups!

ON WITH THE STORY!


"I live my life like there's no tomorrow, and all I've got, I had to steal. Least I don't need to beg or borrow, yes I'm livin' at a pace that kills..."

Runnin' With The Devil - Van Halen (Van Halen (Remastered))


Chapter 4: The Times They Are A-Changin'

Bed has always been one of my guilty pleasures - of anyone I think - and this one is just so… comfy! I don't think I'll ever pick my ass from this spot, everything else be damned.

- knock, knock -

Noooo, I dun wanna...

- knock, knock-

Leave meeeeee…

- knock, knock -

-sigh- "Yeaaah?"

"Adrian, sweetie, come on, get up or you'll be late for school."

"Gimme five more..."

"Fine, but next time there won't be any previous call... I'm sure there's some ice in the fridge~"

"Mooooooom."

"Just get up dear, you said something about today being a very special day."

Very special- oh, really!

"Thanks mom! I'll be down in a minute!"

"Just hurry up, Breakfast is already served downstairs."

I could hear mom's footsteps as she went downstairs… I thought today would never arrive! Finally, today we get paid, and I'll be finally- ugh, stupid pants- finally able to get Daniel his present! I can already imagine his face lighting up like a zeppelin on flames out of sheer excitement.

"Hehehehe... excitement you say? -snort- Ohhh, something will be lit up today, I'm sure, but it won't be his face."

"Who said that!"

What the fuck!? Now I'm hearing voices? I knew headbutting that guy the other day was a bad idea.

"Such bravado. So it was not all the pit lord's job... Who would have thought?"

"What are you talking about? Show yourself!"

There's that voice again! Maaaan, it's still too early to be dealing with this crap.

"How old you were at this point, eleven? To think you've been in this mess for so long... well, we could say this was little me in formation."

"Start making sense of what you're talking about!"

Ugh… this is so frustrating! And I still have to go to school! Maybe if I just ignore him-

"Nope, that won't work" That annoyingly cheery voice whispered, as if it was right next to me "I'm stuck inside this little head of yours, and let me tell you all this… sweetness is making me get sick. I mean, really? The fearsome Howl used to be called Sweetie by his mommy? Laaaaaame."

Howl? What- Wait, I think I've heard that name somewhere before, but where…

"Dude, I mean, I get all this crap made you bat shit crazy loco, I'm proof of that, but to try and deny it here of all places… that's just sad."

"What the hell you're talkin' about?"

"Oh, you… you really don't remember it?"

Is he laughing?

"What is so funny, you asshole!"

"HAHAHAHA, aaaand you just called yourself an asshole! Oh, this is rich, just wait until we return to the jungle and I tell Malena all of this, she will have a field day… Oh, wait! Damn, just realized she will have a field day over me because of you. Thanks for ruining my fun, party pooper."

What the- this voice is so random and... bizarre!

"Oh, you poor thing, this little head has gone through so many traumas that would try to remain sane even if just for a fraction of time… it says a lot of your subconscious, true, but sadly I don't want you here anymore… stupid Sora bringing your goodie-two-shoes ass back…"

"Hey, listen… uhhh… dude, I still have to go to school and now it's, like, super late and shit, so could you just shut up and leave me alone?"

"Nope, can't do, nada, nay. Because I'm a man on a crusade, and I shall not rest until it is fulfilled!"

"And that... crusade is?"

"Remind you who you are. Let's start with that little meeting later this day... you were expecting 'boss' to pay you, but... who is this fella also there at the office waiting for you?"

Images flash in my head, and they… seem… familiar?

"You know, it was kinda stupid to believe 'boss' would take it easily, you two trying to leave."

Why does this feel like… Deja Vu. I mean, we have never been inside the boss' office together ever since I was brought in.

"Ohhh, it all comes back to me, and apparently to you too. Your face when you saw him there, at the boss' office..."

Wait… this is...

"No..."

"Both your faces when the boss took out the gun..."

"No... no..."

"Oh, this one's rich! Look at your face when he took the gun and-"

"NO!"

"I'm sure mommy and daddy still hate you for that... such pity, you looked like part of a happy family just a few seconds ago..."

"Who... -sob- why... -sob-"

"Who am I? Why, you of course! Just passed by to remind you of the important things in life. You know, the smell of flowers in the morning, the laugh of children on the park... you being buried and locked away as a sorry memory. You've been softening me too much for my tastes lately, and that just won't do in our way of life."

"B-but I'm… You… W-what is happening!"

"Brain explosion much? I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not."

"W- who are you? Who really are you?"

"I've already told you I'm you, but if you wish to tell us apart, well you should know better... after all, you created me Adrian. I'm Shinzo."


I know I would have shouted the very same second my eyes snapped open, but thankfully the reflex of keeping myself hidden on unknown places kicked in that moment. I've been on my fair share of similar situations, where remaining silent saved me from... nasty outcomes.

Sadly, what time my silence might have bought me was sold by the heavy and labored breathing, bordering on hyperventilation, that followed right after. But hey! At least I'm lucid enough to know I'm having something that would look like a panic attack! I swear, this body do whatever it wants sometimes.

"Shinzo? Shinzo! Breath, come on, breath!"

Uh, Sora? Wha- Oh, really, I was somehow brought inside the Kingdom Hearts universe, apparently, and I was helping Sora get out of whatever mess I manage to get us in.

...

It makes perfect sense to me, ok?

"What's happening? Why are you so desperate Sora?"

Huh? I know that voice, isn't that one-

"Your majesty! Shinzo's not breathing, and all his body's all trembling! Hi- his eyes are..."

So I'm having one of those ones again? Whelp, no extra points for the right diagnosis this time. I wonder if the outdated medication I took after my last fight at the Lion's den caused it... It looked good enough to me.

"Just leave him Sora, he shouldn't be any if your worries. I'm sure he'll be fine, after all he somehow survived being erased by-."

"Your majesty!"

Ohhh, cold. Never seen this side of Mickey Mouse before. Then again, with all I've seen so far there are a lot of things I don't know of Kingdom Hearts, it seems.

"See? He's already calming down. I told you he was fine, you can release him now."

Huh? He was holding me in place? Why? I mean, this is not the first time this happens. Heck, once I saw a guy start bleeding from every hole in his body… ewww... so against that this is nothing!

...

Ok, ok, that happened inside the Lion's den, yeah, and that other guy pitted against him was holding a sledgehammer, but it was ugly nonetheless!

Wait, someone's shaking me.

"Shinzo! Shinzo! Please answer!"

"S-Sora -cough-" Damn, my throat is hoarse

"Hey, it's fine. Here, drink some water."

"Leave him alone Sora, I don't know why you're worrying for him."

"He has helped us a lot already! Not only here, but also in Hollow Bastion."

"I'm sure that fits in his plans somehow. He would never do something out of kindness, a being of darkness like him doesn't know what kindness is."

That... actually hurt.

"We've already told you that Void Gear is not originally his, it's like the Kingdom Key with me!"

"And you believed him? Sora, maybe you really are too trusting for your own good."

Ouch, the king's on a spree today.

"H-hey, your beff's with me -cough- leave Sora alone. Damn, throat's still sore."

"Shinzo! You're fine? You've just had-"

"Hey, calm -cough- calm down, sorry you had to see that. Not my best first impression, eh your majesty?"

"Please Vanitas" the king scoffed "You can cut the act already, there's no point now that I know who you are."

"Your majesty..."

"Don't worry Sora, I'm sure the king is just... missguided."

"As if I'd ever forget that keyblade... because of you Aqua and Ven- they-"

By the way his hands were clenching I'm sure Sora being here is the only reason he hasn't jumped over me with his keyblade in hand.

Actually… yeah, maybe that could work. Let's try and see if I can get something out of his anger.

"Hey Sora, can you leave us alone for a moment? I would like to talk with the king alone, I'm sure we can clear all this mess that way."

"But Shinzo, you're still injured. You need to rest" Sora said, still worried.

"I don't want to hear anything from you, fiend" the king said, still pissed off.

"I insist your majesty, I wouldn't like to leave this... misunderstanding between us unsolved" I said, still not giving a damn about the mouse being mad at me.

Mickey's gaze jumped from Sora to mine for some seconds, before he grimaced, but nodded, turning his back to me.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine" I whispered to Sora, and he gave me one last hesitant nod before leaving the room, while… glaring at the king? Wow, I'm rubbing on him.

-click-

"Well, what do you want?"

"First? That, at least, you face me while we're talking."

"Talk with you? You are going to speak, I am just going to pretend I hear. The sooner we're done here, the sooner I can take Sora away from you."

"Now you're being an ass. How can you even tell I'm Vanitas? You have any proof?"

"You reek of darkness, and you wield that keyblade. Do I need any other proof?"

"Well, for starters I'm a whole being. Last time I heard about the guy, Vanitas was some sort of conflagration of Darkness given form. The one of Ventus if I'm not wrong."

"How you know that?!"

"Uhhh, I know how to ask? Unlike others -coughyoucough-, who just jump to conclusions?"

I could see that the king was bristling by how casual I was dealing with his anger. Well, not my fault I'm experienced ignoring almost anything people throw at me.

"You may have been able to fool Sora, Donald and Goofy. I don't blame them, they have never dealt with you before. But your lie won't work on me. Riku has been near Sora, Donald and Goofy the whole time they were sleeping, and he never saw you with them."

"Duh! I was not there, obviously. I was in other worlds trying to find info that could help the guys."

"You know what I mean!"

"No, I don't. Sadly mind-reading was not available when I opened the chest containing my current skill set… stupid RNG. Besides, whatever that angsty teenager could- wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait, WAIT. Let's backtrack for a second here… you mean that you asked Riku, like, the Riku about me, right?"

"Of course! He's Sora's best friend! He was there with him while he was sleeping!"

"Hmmm… I see…" I said stroking my chin with a frown "You asked specifically about me? Or just about a random stranger hanging out with the trio?"

"Of course I asked him about you! What are you playing at Vanitas!"

"Me? Playing? Puh-lease! I'm just curious…" I observe him, gauging his reaction… could it be…? "You asked Riku about me…" suspicious look, slight nervousness… "And yet I'm sure the first time you saw me was when I sent Donald and Goofy to help Sora, remember? A while ago, when I was chasing sideburns?" Eyes widen slightly, and posture stiffens with a little jolt.

Bingo.

"Oh boy, ooooooh boy! Is he here? Like, right now? HEY RIKU, SHOW YER' UGLY MUG BEFORE- hmpf!"

A gloved hand covers my mouth, but I grab the small arm and throw the owner across the room, with less strength than intended because, well, still injured, remember?

"Shut up! You want Sora to hear you!?"

So the king does know where Riku is, right now, within this very same castle, but won't tell Sora a thing about it?

"Isn't it obvious? The boy just wanted to return home after finding his friend, so if said friend's here, let's just be done with it!"

"He is not here, and even if he was, he's not ready to face Sora."

"Oh, not here… he's out there stalking Sora from the shadows, surely" Then I took a mocking dramatic pose, with the back of my hand over my forehead "Such a good friend, living his own little drama while leaving the only one capable of really helping to get him out of his flunk-" And transformed body… maybe? "-out of it, how envious am I!"

"Shut up! You know nothing of all he has gone through!"

"Well, yeah I do. And I also know that just being remorseful won't fix things with Sora by itself… but with Sora being Sora that is up to debate... My point is, I know a thing or two about regret, believe it or not, and I could bet Void Gear over the fact that Riku's doing it wrong. There was this time-"

"Spare me the details, your only drive was to obey your master and ruin everyone's life! You know nothing of friendship, or loss, or anything! You just exist to destro-"

I was already over him before he could finish that word, hand on his throat and Shadow Gear starting to pierce his chest, not aiming to take the heart, but to cut and shut him UP!

"I've been patient, you petty mouse" I whispered on his oversized ear "I've tried to understand and not act like I usually would after hearing all you've called me, all for Sora's sake, but you know what? I've realized you're not worth it."

Somehow, the mouse managed to summon his keyblade and hit me with the handle hard on the side, using it like brass knuckles, right over one of the still healing wounds making me roll to the side in pain and allowing him to jump backwards, cradling his chest with a grimace, but looking ready to strike me again.

"Kingdom Key D... isn't it quite ironic that you, someone who clearly hates darkness, wield the keyblade of the dark realm?"

He only glared at me harder, the grip on his keyblade tightening, me panting and trying to clear the spots dancing on my sight with a shake of my head.

"Look at the great King Mickey! Keyblade Master and warrior of light… who is already harming an innocent just because of assumptions and old hates. Maybe you're not as pure as you claim to be. After all, everyone have darkness inside their heart, right? Even Master Yen Sid said so, didn't he? What would Riku, or Sora, or even Donald and Goofy say if they saw your face right now? Your dear Minnie would be cowering behind me if she was here, I'm sure."

That was it for the mouse. With a loud cry he jumped towards me, keyblade ready to strike, and I tried to stand up to block him, but the hit from before apparently had made more of a mess than I thought, because the next moment I was falling to the floor, my side hurting like a bitch, and receiving a barrage of hits from an enraged king.

"Shut UP! Because of you Ven is still missing, because of you Terra gave into the darkness, because of you AQUA IS LOST IN THE DARK REALM! ALL BECAUSE OF YOU AND YOUR MASTER!"

-crack-

"AGHHHHHH!"

The bastard hit me again in the ribs! Damn, ithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsit-

"I'll finish this right now… you were not even meant to exist."

I could kick him from over me and end this with one slash to the throat – like a couple of times before I was forced to – the injury to my side might be a mess, but it's not the worse I've had, and his height is something I can work with...

There are two reasons I won't, that will most likely cost me the life.

First, the mouse is still needed, all that 7 lights vs. 13 vessels, so I can't kill Mickey Mouse – no matter how wrong that sounds – because doing that would doom everything in the end… all this crap is far too real to be a dream.

The second? Well… the very same reason I've thrown myself against so many potentially lethal – for me – opponents at the lion's den, and that Mickey just reminded me so kindly.

Maybe I was really not meant to exist.

So, seeing the rage burning on those dark eyes, and the Keyblade start it's descend, I only closed mine… show's over guys, been a pleasure.

Daniel… I'm so, so sorry.

"Your majesty? We heard- Shinzo!"

-Clang!-

"Have you gone mad!? You almost killed him!"

"Sora, step out! This is something that needs to be done! The worlds will be much safer without him!"

"He is my friend! You can't kill my friend!"

"He lied to you all! He never was there at Castle Oblivion! He even attacked me just a moment ago!"

Leave it to Sora to save me in the last second, but oh well, there's one reason to live, for now at least, repay the guy the life debt I've just acquired.

-Cough, cough-

Damn, now I'm coughing blood. Doc said it was never good when I coughed blood.

"H-he was ignoring everything I was saying, and then attacked me" I said trying to stand up, just to fall to a knee when my side flashed with pain "D-damn, I think a rib's broken."

"That's not true! It was him who attacked me! Donald! Goofy! Tell Sora I wouldn't lie about something like that!"

I turned to them, not in the least feigning the pained grimace. Damn, it really hurt like a bitch. Both looked hesitant, Goofy more so than Donald, eyes darting between me and the mouse.

It was Donald who broke the silence.

"Well, the king has never been someone to attack others without a good reason..."

"Donald! It was the king who was about to strike down Shinzo when we entered!" Sora almost shouted, disbelief clear in his voice, finally pushing Mickey away using both hands on his keyblade.

"But we've known the king for much more time than we have known Shinzo, and he had never before done something like that!"

"Ouch Donald, that was harsh buddy."

He looked guilty at my words, and I was about to say something else, but...

"Silence! You will not tell any more lies to my friends, monster!"

"Not happy with just almost murdering me, now you keep antagonizing me" Funny it's me who's saying that now "Look buddy, I don't have the strength to even shout at you about how much I loathe that word, but keep in mind that every other person who has said it to my face have not met a nice end, so consider yourself lucky… this time."

Blood mixed with saliva fell from my mouth the next second, saying all that without giving in to the pain, or urge to cough, taking its toll on my abused lungs. Everyone seemed to be shocked by both the threat and my current look.

"Shinzo... what have-"

"You can't talk to the king like that! He's just trying to protect his friends!"

"My ass Donald" I answered panting heavily, too tired to even remain angry "he's just angry at me for something he can't even tell I did."

"B-but Shinzo... the king has never done anything-"

The king this, the king that, fuck it, I'll show Sora what his precious king is hiding from him.

"Want to hear something funny Sora? Remember the reason you haven't returned to your islands with Kairi yet?"

I could see the mouse's eyes widening, and the pleading look he sent me as the gears turned in Sora's head.

"Y-you mean..."

"Our dear king here present knows exactly where Riku is, right now."

Silence fell upon the room, all eyes focused on the shaking mouse in front of us.

"Y-your majesty?"

"S-Sora, I don't-"

"You told me, just some minutes ago; that you had no idea where Riku is... was that a lie?"

"Sora, maybe the king-"

"I'm not talking with you Goofy! Tell me, your majesty... Mickey... as friends... can you tell me..."

"Sora, I... I can-"

"Come on, your majesty -cough- tell us. We're dying to-"

"Shinzo, please... not now..."

Ok, I'll admit that was a cheap shot of my part, but the fucking mouse deserved it!

"Sorry Sora."

"-Sigh- I'm sorry Sora, but I can't tell you... I promised him-" The mouse eyes opened widely when he realized he had just confirmed my claim, and clamped both hands over his mouth.

It would have been funny, if not for Sora's reaction that moment.

"D-don't worry your majesty... at- at least now I know he's fine, right?"

Fighting against the pain, and believe me it really hurt, I stood up and walked next to Sora, put a hand over his shoulder, and squeezed it supportingly.

"Sorry Sora, I didn't mean to bring that up... I was just angry, and the words-"

"Don't worry" he said, forcing a grin to his face "h-he must be busy doing something important, right king Mickey?"

The mouse never answered.

I chuckled humorlessly, nodding tiredly at his words, knowing all too well the pain of hiding the hurt in plain sight… the fact he was trying to be optimistic about it… don't know if it made me pity him, or admire him even more.

"If you say so Sora, it must be so. You know him the best from everyone here."

He just nodded, his grin fading. Riku, if you're here right now, I hope you see what you're causing.

Ignoring everyone else currently in the room, he used the back of his right hand -removing his glove- to clean the blood of my mouth, grimacing while using the sheet to clean it from his hand, and put the other hand around my torso, me hissing when it brushed against my side, and he grimacing even more when he felt the sticky wetness of blood seeping through the bandages.

"Shinzo, you're bleeding."

"Hehe, that I'm doing buddy."

"Let's go back to your bed."

"Ok mom."

He just chuckled and shook his head with a roll of his eyes, but guided me back to the bed and casted a cure spell, helping soothe the pain, and even if it felt weird as fuck, feeling my ribs pop back into place gave me the oh so needed deep breath of air without feeling my lungs about to be pierced. But Sora was still frowning after my blood stained the white sheets.

"I'll ask Belle for help treating that injury... and all those bruises over your torso and arms."

"Don't worry, I've had worse. This is nothing." Damn, even shrugging hurts.

"About that..."

"You won't let that go, will you?"

He just smiled tiredly and shook his head no.

"Ok, but I'd rather say this only for one person, so..." and now I finally addressed the other three there "Your majesty, Donald, Goofy, would you kindly leave us alone?"

"Sora, I don't think you-"

"Leave us alone king, please."

Wow, that last part came out harsher than even I would have expected from Sora, and he didn't even flinched, or tried to excuse himself for the tone he used.

"Let's go yer majesty, we'll come back later when they finish talking." Goofy said softly, guiding the guilty mouse along with Donald out of the room, whispering a soft sorry before closing the door.

"You didn't need to be so harsh with them; the king's problem was with me."

"He lied to my face when he told me he didn't know where Riku was... but yeah, maybe I was a bit too harsh."

"Donald and Goofy are innocent; you owe them at least an apology."

I could see all the anger leave his body with the long sigh he released, leaving him just so tired he had to sit on a side of the bed.

"Yeah, sorry" he said scratching his head "I'll talk with them once we're done here."

"About that..."

"Don't worry; I won't pressure you to tell me. You said there would be a time when you are ready, and I'll wait."

"Then, why-"

"Well..." now he scratched the back his head sheepishly, blushing a bit...? What the- "I was wondering... maybe..."

"Out with it boy, I'm not going to bite you." I said with a chuckle.

"Well, maybe you could let me..." and the rest was a mumble.

"Hey, speak louder, can't hear you."

"Could you let me hear Riku's song again?"

I just gave him a deadpan look for some silent seconds, which made him start fidgeting.

"You have a crush on Riku?"

From all the reactions I expected, him choking with his own saliva was not one of them.

"I take that as a yes?"

"Of course not! Why would you say that!?"

"Well, I don't see any other reason for you making such a fuzz and being so hesitant about asking to hear a simple song."

"It's just... I don't know, after all that happened, and you getting so angry-"

"Just like you."

"I wasn't-"

"Yes, you were. Look Sora, sometimes it's better to blow up at the moment than store it inside, especially when you are in our line of work."

"But I'm the keyblade chosen one" he said hesitantly "I can't have dark feelings..."

"Exactly, that's why... look; you can feel anger, that's normal. Heck, even healthy I would say, but when you just keep it inside, it grows and then you get hate. Now that's a far darker feeling that simple anger."

"Just like the king with you..."

"Yeah" I said with a sigh "just like him."

There were a couple of seconds with him silent, looking pensive, and me wondering exactly of how much he is really aware of, and how much he decides to just ignore.

"I saw the stain on his clothes. That was not your blood."

It was not a question,

"If you saw that, why you sided with me?"

"Sora?"

"... I… I don't hate you..."

He what!?

I looked at him for a couple of seconds, his gaze focused on his sneakers, trying to wrap my head around what he just told me.

Failing miserably.

"I... don't know how to react to that."

"Don't worry; the day you tell me about your problems I'll also explain mine to you, ok?"

Look at that, Sora sure learns fast. What the hell he meant with 'I don't hate you'? He hates the king? Why? Well, he said that he would tell me when I- No, nope, no. Just no. I can't tell him... but then again, the kid has been too trusting with me so far...

I chanced a glance to him, sitting on a side of the bed, lost in his own world. How can he hate? I mean, he's Sora for fuck's sake! The guy who is a step away from being a princess of heart by how... light he is! Maybe... but he could... Gaaaah! Stupid innocent, dorky and well willed sky boy! How the fuck are you managing to get so close to me so fast! Why only you are managing to make me do all this stupid sentimental things when ' .to! You want to know more about me!? You want to meet the real me? Fine! Have it your fucking way!

...

You're too good to be my friend anyway.

"There's... I've…"

I try forcing me to spill the beans, tell him all I've been forced to do, just to survive, but…

"Sorry Sora, but I'm afraid if I talk you'll… stop hanging around me."

"What?"

"I'm not a good person Sora, like, at all. I'm selfish, violent, evil… you name it and that I am, that's why I reacted so badly at being called a monster."

His eyes remained focused on mine, that clear shade of blue looking for something here. So innocent, so friendly, so understanding… I couldn't keep mine from turning to a side.

"I see... you became like that because you wished to?"

"I... was forced. Survival of the strongest."

"Hmmm... you know? For someone like that, you act like a real softie."

"What?"

"The whole time you've been with us all I have seen is someone who would do anything for his friends."

"Sora, we've known each other for less than a week."

"So?"

"My point is-" he continued "-you may be a little… dark, true, but you're not evil from what I've seen."

"Somehow" it was my turn to talk "I'm being this goody two shoes just... because of you…"

Please someone kill me right now. That sounded sooooooo gay!

"Are you sure you're not the one who has a crush on me?" he said with a raised eyebrow.

"NO! Heck no! Ugh… ewwww! Just… ewwww! I don't swing that way, you dork!"

He just laughed at my reaction… bastard.

"It's just… well, I've seen you- Not like THAT! I know that look Sora, and I know what you're thinking about! Erase that amused smirk right now or I'll stop all this sentimental crap right now!"

"Ok, ok, sorry."

"Bastard. Anyway, I've seen all you did, what you struggled against…" What will come for you in the future "and despite all that you remain… yourself, not a bit changed in your way of seeing the world, and that sort of reminds me of… someone, before everything, you know? And I can't bring myself to be my selfish, manipulative self with you."

The castle Oblivion story I had to make will be the first, and last, time I'll ever use my knowledge for my own personal gain... with him, with everyone else it's free for all.

"Will you be like that with others?" I gave him a look "besides the king?"

"I hope not, but if it's needed..."

The smile died when I answered, and I know what will come next. Can't say I wasn't expecting Sora to ditch me after hearing all that I said, even if I didn't really said what I had in mind, but with how light hearted the conversation was going… well… you can't blame me for rising my hopes.

"You can leave me here Sora, I won't hold it against you if-"

"I was happy being just an island boy with my friends, everything was easier back then…" he said softly "When our world was consumed by darkness, the only thing I wished was to find my friends and go back home, not get dragged into all this problem with heartless, and now nobodies."

A soft sigh escaped his lips, and Sora placed his hands in the bed, behind him, leaning on them and looking to the roof.

"Donald and Goofy are now two of my greatest friends, and I don't regret meeting them back in traverse town, but back then they needed me to find the king… Donald thinks I didn't hear what he whispered to Goofy when Leon told me to go with them, and Riku took Maleficent's side because I started hanging out with them, so…"

He let himself fall to the bed, and placed both hands behind his head, still looking to the roof.

"Sometimes I wonder how things would have gone if I never met Donald and Goofy, and just waited until Riku popped up. If I never heard, or met, the king, because it all comes back to him… telling Donald and Goofy to find me, pulling me into this big fight against darkness, making me go to Master Yen Sid's tower without an explanation… I know he did what he thought was the right thing, but I never asked for anything of this. I miss the old days in the play island, without a care in the world, and I can't help but sometimes blame him for all that happened… and get angry at him for never giving me the option of saying no."

"Sora…" was all I could say right now. It never crossed my mind that he felt that way about his adventure, but… it really made sense; all that happened during the first Kingdom Hearts was because he was looking for Riku and Kairi, and the Disney duo promised him help with that, everything else just… happened, because of that meeting.

And he never had anyone to talk about this until now.

"Hey, don't look so surprised" He said with a chuckle, turning to face me "I know that if given the choice I would have said yes anyway" a shrug "besides, you went through something similar, so you can understand… I can't say I'm not a bit scared, you haven't said exactly what you were forced to do, but..." Then he looked towards the scar in my arm "you have showed me that you really wish to be my friend, and that's what matters, ne?"

Smiling, fighting back the tears, I took the Mp3 out of my pants pocket and handed him the earplugs.

"Careful with the blood stains, don't want to get your clothes dirty."

Thankfully my voice not wavered even once.

"I forgot! I'll go call Belle right-"

"Hey, calm down. Your cure fixed my ribs, and that was the worse of it, bruises I can deal on my own."

"You sure?"

"Yup! Now take this and go, the song is ready to play, just push the big button there to play, and keep it pressed to turn it off."

"Ehhh... you wouldn't mind me staying here with you, would you?"

"Sora..." So this was the real reason why he was so nervous before "don't use me as an excuse to avoid the others out there. You need to talk with them at some point."

"I know, just... just let me stay this once, ok?"

"... fine. I wouldn't mind the company anyway."

"Thanks" and properly placing himself beside me – the not injured side – he happily remained silent while hearing the song.

I never asked for anything of this.

I miss the old days…

Maybe, just maybe, Sora and I have more in common than he thinks.

"Hey Sora"

"Hmmm?"

"If Riku was here, what would you tell him?"

He furrowed his eyebrows, and brought a finger to scratch his chin as he thought.

"That whatever he is doing right now I hope he finishes soon... I miss him."

Maybe it was a trick of the light, but for a moment it looked like something moved in the shadows of the room.

"And that I look way cooler than him with a Keyblade."

I just nodded, letting the music carry me away from all the crap in my mind, faintly hearing a chuckle from somewhere in the room.


It took me around half an hour to make Sora leave the room so he could go talk with Donald and Goofy (the sunova of a king deserved to be on his black list, because... reasons? and because he sure as hell was already on mine) but it took him less than eight minutes to return, stating that the king had taken the gummi ship, Donald and Goofy, and had taken off to another world.

Ass.

Apparently the king was… considerate enough to leave a message with Belle, stating that Sora was to wait for them before they could continue their trip, but that I wouldn't be allowed to go with them so this was like some sort of small vacation for him, and time for goodbye for me.

To hell with whatever the mouse decided to treat me like, but to treat Sora as some kind of lap dog bent to his will?

...

Ok, maybe I'm making things bigger than what they really are, but the mouse still, and will, annoy me to no end, and since the spiky-haired dork currently next to me, babbling about the time he accidentally set Donald's backside feathers in fire while testing his fire spell on Merlin's house back at Traverse Town, has shown me there's more to him that what meets the eye... well, there's so much more out there he doesn't know about, and being so sheltered by his friends won't do him much good in the long run.

I have to take him away… of course he still have to do his good deeds in the other worlds, but- So far I've noticed things for him are just black or white, and that idea was reinforced by Yen Sid, yet I've noticed that thanks to me being here… he's noticing that it's not so simple. The way he reacted with the king, his own feelings to him regarding all this keyblade mess, all that was not supposed to happen, yet it did so far... now I'm afraid if he doesn't come to terms that there's a whole scale of grey regarding his villains…

I wonder how he would react if exposed to the Scarlet Crusade, or-

"... and then I had to use freeze, but he wouldn't stay still!"

I just chuckled while he started to laugh, shaking my head at the clumsiness that got him on that situation, and deciding to address that particular pandora's box later.

"You can really be a klutz when you want to. Why would you try to shoot fireballs like that?"

"Hehe... because it looked... cool?"

"Yeah, blindfolded."

"Shinzoooo" he moaned like a little kid, as we made our way down the hallway that connected the room I was in with the rest of the castle "I was just a kid!"

"Was?" I asked, bemused by the way Sora blushed in embarrassment and tried to come with some sort of smart comeback, but just managing to gape like a goldfish.

A very embarrassed goldfish.

"Easy there Sora, I was just messing with you. Of course you're no longer a kid."

He narrowed his eyes at me, with a small pout I'm not sure he was aware of.

"Even if you still act like one."

I had not been expecting Lea to make his presence known to Sora that way, but I guess that was just too good of an opportunity to tease him to pass up.

In a second Sora was in his fighting stance, Kingdom key already out, and making Axel rise his hands in surrender with a smirk. A shine on those green eyes I knew all too well, so with a roll of my eyes I stepped ahead and placed myself between them before a fight started.

"Sora, you can't maim my informant inside the organization. It kinda betrays the reason we have him in the first place." And then I turned to Lea.

"Lea, you can't maim the keyblader, it kinda betrays the reason you're working with us in the first place."

Lea pouted, but did as told and lowered his hands, his eyes no longer showing his itch for a fight, and only then Sora followed the request, still weary of the nobody in front of him.

"Who are you?"

"The name's Lea. L-E-A, got it memorized?" He answered Sora with his trademark catchphrase and smirk.

Sora just rose an eyebrow and smirked while crossing both arms over his chest.

"Then I might have memorized it wrong, because I could swear it was Axel before."

The way he said it, the cocky tone he used... heck, even the posture he took!

It was Lea who reacted first.

"I knew you were still there Roxy!" He said - more like shouted really - with a hearty laugh and a wide smile, wrapping the poor brunette in a crushing hug.

"Gah! Axel! I told you not to call me Roxy!" Sora growled between Lea's arms, but there was fondness on the tone too. Oh boy once he realizes- no, wait, he already did.

Heeeere comes the freak out.

"Wha- what was that!" He said pushing Lea away from him, eyes wide in panic and looking at himself like he would mutate any second now "What you did to me!?"

"He did nothing Sora" I said before he charged at the readhead, because he looked ready to "it was all you... or, well, a side of you, you could say"

I'm sure he was about to scream, so with a sigh I put a hand over his mouth and motioned for them to follow me.

"If you could please not scream, it would be appreciated. There's an explanation for al this Sora, and I don't know why, but you weren't supposed to know yet. Well, the cat's out the bag, so we better get somewhere comfortable to talk, because this will take some time."


(A/N): I know it's more than just one cliffhanger, with all that dream/nightmare at the start, and the shadow on Shinzo's room, and I hate myself for it, but I swear I'll work faster on the next chapter, and I'll explain everything there, ok?

And yeah, the title of the chapter was also a song, even if not necesarily from any KH OST.

Well, here's your bonus. It's an idea I've been twirling in my mind for a long time, and I have read the novels, researched the lore and all that stuff, so I'm certain I can pull it nicely, but I would like to know what you think... See ya!


The blond found himself staring dumbly at the sword on his hand, not really paying attention to where his feet were taking him inside the great city, the words of the king still fresh in his mind.

"Yeh have done a great favor, not only for the city an' its people, but fer me too… I can' even star' tae repay yeh, but I hope this can show how grateful I am. See it as a gift, not from a king, but from a friend."

So lost in his thoughts, he found himself in front of a training dummy after a while and decided to give it a try, the demonstration the king gave him still fresh on his mind and him curious if he could, at least, imitate one of the katas.

After half an hour, and the sword flying from his hands one too many times, he decided he couldn't.

"Yeh have drive, I'll give yeh that lad" a gruff voice said approaching, with his brand new sword on hand, and the blond blushed in embarrassment, making the owner of said voice chuckle, before giving the weapon back.

"Yeh're a young, wee lad, strong on yer own right and capable o' givin' a war veteran a run fer his money… but nae blademaster was forged in a day or two. Like the sword, the owner o' the blade have tae remove himself from impurities, and temper himself with patience an' dedication until body and mind are strong and sharp, just like the edge and blade of the sword."

For a moment both locked eyes, and the boy saw the older one get lost in thought, his visage softening, and clouding with tears, but then he shook his head and turned around - after helping him get back on his feet and handing back the sword.

"Yeh have potential, but lack discipline. Ask my brother tae find yeh a teacher. Yeh have potential."

And with that he left.


"Yeh could teach the lad" a voice said from around a corner.

"Nae, I wouldn't make him any good…"

"Yer being too harsh with yerself, what happened with-"

"What happened with him was my fault too!"

The area fell silent after the outburst.

"I met the lad too, and he was a fine one. Kind an' patient like his father, but brave an' direct like yeh."

"He was nottin' like me. If he was then-"

"Arthas took a lot after yeh… but the lad was young an' impulsive. Yeh were his teacher an' friend, but not his father."

"I'm not friend, nor teacher, o' the monster sittin' on top o' Icecrown Citadel"

"Yet yeh were… I know the lad reminds you too much o' him, I know he's just like the prince when he was a boy, and that hurts yeh, just like it hurts Lady Jaina, an' King Varian, but they try tae put the past behind. Arthas died the day he took that cursed blade and left yeh to die, an' yeh can't change that, but there's a fine lad, who needs guides an' friends from what Brann told me, an' yeh have tae face yer ghosts… think about it Muradin."

Silence fell once again between the brothers, but this time it was lighter, until a long exhalation made King Magni smile.

"He better be up before the sun rises tomorrow, or he'll have tae look fer another teacher" and with a grunt the dwarf made his way through Ironforge, back to his quarters.

"Yeh may not know it yet Naruto, but yer presence here seems tae be more than just an' accident."