Chapter 5: Bonds of Friendship: Old and New

The conversation with Seiya went far easier than anyone had expected. Mickey and Selphie stayed behind with Riku, while the rest went to Sora's house. The second the brunette walked into his kitchen, the woman knew something was wrong.

After Sora and Kairi carefully explained everything that had occurred over the past two years, she simply stood and then whacked her son on the head. After cussing him out for not telling her any of this sooner, she immediately switched her focus to Kairi and began asking what she could do for Riku. Kairi gave her a brief overview of the situation, and Seiya started adding little details to the plan, sending Sora, Tidus, and Wakka to collect Riku and bring him to the house.

Back at Kairi's, they snuck in through the back so they would not have to explain to her guardian why she wasn't with them. They didn't run into the mayor too often but when they did, he tended to like talking to them at length. Security did not even bat an eye at them anymore; most of them were simply amused by the teenagers' antics.

They ducked into the room to see Mickey and Selphie carefully looking over Riku's body.

"Do you see any more spots?" Mickey asked softly, worry written on his face.

"No, just that huge one." Selphie shook her head, flipped up hair bobbing. "Do you want us to keep an eye on it?"

"Yes. If it changes at all or more appears, you need to contact me immediately."

"If what changes?" Sora questioned loudly.

Selphie pursed her lips and glanced at the king who only nodded once. She slowly lifted Riku's shirt, "This."

Across the upper abdomen, stretching out to the left was a large purple-black discoloration. It looked like something between a bruise and a dirty spot. It had to be a good ten inches across and five going up.

"Oh, man!" Tidus gaped, "What the heck is that?"

"That's the physical symptom of the Jenova cells unnatural growth," replied Mickey. "Back on their world, the second time Sephiroth tried to return, there was a massive outbreak of this. They called it geostigma."

"So everyone got infected?" Tidus tried to understand, "Is this like a virus or something?"

"No, the few remaining cells in the Lifestream were sent out, presumably through the water supply, consumed by various people, mostly children, and then activated. Their bodies reacted and tried to eliminate the foreign substance causing the stigma."

"But if Riku was born with those cells, they're not foreign, ya?" Wakka pointed out.

"True," The demure figure agreed. "However, this is an unnatural replication of the cells; therefore his body would still have to adjust to them."

"I don't get it," Sora sighed.

"Right now, you don't need to. We need to get moving." Mickey glanced over at the silver haired boy who had become a good friend. He had become very protective of Riku. "We're running out of time."

"Right," Sora nodded. "Uh, we gotta figure out how to move him. Mom knows everything and is willing to do whatever's necessary."

"Good." Mickey looked toward the window. "Whelp, it's getting dark, but not fast enough."

He hopped off the bed and walked to the window. He held up his hand and a wand suddenly appeared. "Let's see…"

He waved the wand in an intricate pattern and waited. The others glanced at one another, having no idea what he was trying to do. When a rumbling sound started, they stared at the little mouse.

Sora grinned, "You have got to teach me that."

Heavy, dark clouds began rolling in, darkening the sky. There were a few flashes of lightning but otherwise it became pitch black. If it were indeed real, there would be one heck of a storm coming in.

"Whoa." Tidus gaped.

"Oh that is so cool!" Selphie exclaimed. Wakka didn't speak, but looked rather impressed.

"It won't actually rain, but everyone's going to think it will," Mickey turned back to the little group.

"Let's get outta here then, ya?" Wakka stepped over to the bed. Selphie moved out of the way and Sora was immediately on the other side. "Selphie, you're front lookout; Tidus, the rear."

Both gave a curt nod, "Right."

Sora and Wakka worked to get the limp form off the bed and each wrapped one of Riku's arms over their shoulders. They carried the burden that was their friend toward the door, which Selphie was already holding open and motioning them through.

They only came across one of the security guys and at his raised eyebrow, Selphie giggled. "Someone gave the birthday boy a bit of a surprise in his drink."

The man laughed. "You teenagers and your booze. You need any help getting him home?"

"Oh, no. We've got it covered. Hopefully we can get him in without his parents finding out."

"Have him sleep it off at Sora's." The guard opened the door for them. "Its closer and I doubt his parents will think anything of it."

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Selphie agreed as the boys passed her to go out. "Well, see ya."

"Get home before the rain comes."

"Will do!"

They hurried across the yard. Sora shot the girl a dirty look, "I can't believe you said that!"

"It was the best excuse I could come up with!" She hissed back.

"Can we argue about this later?" whispered Tidus loudly. "Where did Mickey go?"

"Over here," A soft, high-pitched voice called from the shrubs at the edge of the yard.

"Oi, Riku's heavy, ya." Wakka grunted, re-hoisting the boy. "And you got him upstairs by yourself?"

"Well, I did have to drag him a little…," confessed Sora.

The little group hurried their steps, anxiously looking about. They made it to Sora's house in fifteen minutes, which was exceptionally good timing, considering the burden they bore. It was a good thing that they were all rather athletic.

Kairi must have been keeping a look out, because the door was open and waiting for them as they came up the front step. "He's going in your room."

"My room?" asked Sora dumbly.

"Well you're not going to be using it."

"Oh, right."

They toted Riku up to Sora's small bedroom, where the latter's mom was waiting. The moment they had him settled on the bed, Seiya came racing over and sat beside him. She brushed at his hair and her lower lip trembled. "Oh, my poor baby."

"We'll make him better, Mom."

"I know you will, sweetie." She blinked her large blue eyes a few times. "It's just like looking at my own son this way."

Sora pursed his lips and went to his mother. He placed his hands on her shoulders. She glanced up at him before reaching a hand to pat his cheek. Then she turned to the one person in the room she did not know. "What do I need to do, Your Majesty?"

"Whelp, first it's Mickey." The mouse smiled, and then he quickly grew serious again. "Selphie has been given instructions. I need all of you to be looking out for several things. She knows how to contact me."

"You put Selphie in charge?" Tidus snorted his disbelief.

Mickey nodded, "I trust her completely." The girl beamed and stuck her tongue out at the blonde.

"We're gonna do this as fast as possible," Sora told his mom, voice set with determination.

She nodded, twisting to hug him. "Be careful, baby."

The brunette rolled his eyes. "This isn't the first time I've done this, Mom."

"No, but the second you start thinking you're invincible is when you'll get hurt."

"Yes, Mom."

"All right, you three get going."

"Three?" Sora blinked.

"I'm coming with," Kairi stated as though he should have understood this already. He probably should have.

Before Sora could protest, Mickey nodded. "Good…time to move out."

With slightly awkward good-byes, Sora, Mickey, and Kairi headed out to Sora's backyard. Without word, they followed the king to the dock. He quietly explained. "I hid the ship on the play island. Riku had said people rarely went out there."

"Just us," commented Sora with a painful twist in his heart. "And we don't really go out there any more, either."

Kairi squeezed his hand a moment then let him begin untying one of the boats. "We should be fine in one."

Sora agreed. Once finished, he let Kairi and Mickey in first before hopping in and pushing off. He rowed steadily, each occupant of the boat keeping quiet. At the island, Kairi jumped the side and helped pull the little boat in.

With it securely anchored on the beach, Sora followed Mickey out and found himself staring at the tiny key with the bent over Paopu tree to the left connected only by a wooden bridge. Suddenly, all of this was very real to him. "We're gonna be able to save Riku, right?"

His question was met by a moment of silence. He turned and saw Kairi looking at him steadily. She didn't say anything, but Sora understood that expression. He grinned at her, "Let's get going."

The trip was rather short, involving two separate warps. Sora talked to Chip and Dale for the first half-hour or so before they had to get back to work. Mickey spent a majority of the time in quiet thought. Kairi, having never been on a gummi ship before, studied the displays and views outside in slight awe.

The closer they got to Radiant Garden, the more anxious Sora became. The last hour could not pass fast enough. He tapped his fingers on the control panel during the landing and was out of his seat before Mickey had the ship settled. He waited impatiently at the door for Kairi, and then Mickey to arrive.

"Sora," Kairi placed a small hand on his arm. "I know you want to help Riku, but you need to calm down."

"I just want to find Cloud," replied Sora.

"We will."

Mickey opened the door and Sora somehow managed not to dart out before him. He wanted to believe it was his own will power, but knew it was most likely Kairi's restraining grip on him. She did not release him until the king had cleared the ramp.

"So, no one to meet us…" Sora looked around the empty garage, "I wonder where Cid is."

"We didn't announce we were coming," stated Mickey. "It's midday now."

"So they're probably at lunch." Sora headed for the exit. "Which means headquarters."

Kairi exchanged looks with the mouse, who shrugged. "He certainly is determined."

"Yeah, well what good is that going to do us if he gets himself killed?"

"I forgot you haven't traveled with Sora. This is how he always does things."

That explained why he never wanted her to go with him. "We better catch up before he freaks everyone out."

Sora hadn't gotten too far ahead, and had actually stopped to wait for them outside of Merlin's house, which he assumed was still the Restoration Committee's Headquarters. He gave an impatient grin and toed a cobblestone.

"Didn't want to just barge in?" Kairi asked a bit sarcastically. "I thought you were a card carrying member."

She walked up to the door and went right in. Sora appeared close behind her, followed by Mickey. Cid and Yuffie both looked up from the computer.

"What the heck are you doing here?" Yuffie placed her hands on her hips, trying to look stern despite the cheerful tone of the question.

"Don't tell me we got trouble again," Cid muttered around his cigarette.

"Only on a personal level," explained Mickey. "Has Cloud been back?"

"Not that we know of," The middle-aged blonde thumbed his nose.

"No one's seen him since Sephiroth," Yuffie frowned.

"What about Tifa?" Sora inquired.

"Tifa? What about her?" Both were clearly confused. "We haven't seen her since before the Heartless."

"Huh?" Sora's face twisted up. "She was here during the whole Xemnas thing. Kept trying to find Cloud."

"Well that sounds like something she'd do, but none of us ever saw her," commented Cid.

"Why ya looking for Cloud?" Yuffie folded her arms.

"We need his help." Sora simply stated, already heading for the door. "Where's Leon?"

"At the Castle, like always."

Sora opened the door. "Come on, guys."

Kairi bowed a bit to the other two. "Well, uh, it's been nice seeing you again, but we really are in a hurry."

"Oh, don't worry," The ninja girl waved her off. "We're used to Sora running in and out all the time."

Kairi and Mickey ran after Sora. They only slowed a little once they caught up. The Keyblade wielder was moving at a brisk pace, and they knew better than to try to argue with him.

The first place they checked was Ansem's study. No one was there, or in the computer room. After talking to Tron for a minute, Kairi asked to stay behind and search the files for anything she could find about Jenova. She was fairly good with computer hacking and getting into coded files.

This seemed an excellent idea, and they left her with Tron. Sora and Mickey then headed toward what had been the courtyard. That was where they found Leon, pouring over some schematic with a scowl.

He looked up suddenly and the scowl became a frown. "This can't be good."

"We have to find Cloud!" Sora blurted out, unable to hold back any more. His lip trembled as if he were about to cry. "Riku will die if we don't!"

Leon stared blankly for a moment. "What?"

"We have to find Cloud!" repeated Sora. "Riku's really sick and we need Cloud to fix it, but we don't know if he can or if he'd even want to and-"

"Stop," The sable-haired man cut him off. "I have no idea what you're going on about, but it's obviously important."

"Leon, do you know where Aerith is?" Mickey asked, much more calmly than Sora was acting, although there was a definite tone of urgency to his voice.

"She went to drop some things off, and then she was going to go work with Tron." Leon studied Sora for a long moment. He had long ago realized how important Sora's best friend was to him. He folded up the blueprint and began walking. "She should be there by now."

Along the way, Sora rambled on in a disjointed fashion, which Leon could not follow at all. He simply let the boy get it out of his system and figured Mickey would re-explain things once they located Aerith. He really hated seeing Sora like this.

Aerith was indeed in the computer room, locked in an intense conversation with Kairi, whom no one had bothered to mention was here. As they spoke, each would point to various entries on the computer screen.

"Did you find anything?" Sora bolted over.

"Nothing on Riku, but there's a very detailed report on The Planet," answered Kairi. "Ansem definitely had a strong interest in it."

"Half of the information is wrong," added Aerith. "A lot of this sounds like Hojo and Gast's misinterpretations."

Leon glanced at Mickey with a raised eyebrow.

The king sighed and motioned the man toward one of the corners. As Aerith pointed out the flaws in the computer's information, he explained to Leon the full situation. Once finished, Leon blinked and rubbed at his scar.

"So, let me get this straight, Sora's friend Riku is…basically…another Sephiroth."

"Yes."

"And Maleficent, being the vindictive bitch we all know she is, cursed him, but you changed the curse to buy him some time."

"Correct."

"And you think Cloud can somehow help?"

"I don't think," Sora butt in, "I know he will."

"Will?" echoed Leon. He shook his head. "Look, I can't say I know Cloud very well, but I doubt he's going to want anything to do with something involving Sephiroth…outside of making sure the bastard never returns."

"But this is Riku!" Sora nearly shouted. "He knows Riku, and Riku…Riku really likes him, so Cloud…well, Cloud should…"

Kairi narrowed her eyes at him. She noted the shy tone he used, as well as the faint coloring of his cheeks.

Mickey laughed. Even Aerith seemed amused.

Leon, however, was not in the mood to indulge in Sora's naïve view of the world. "Just because Riku's in love with Cloud does not mean that Cloud feels anything toward him at all. One-sided love happens all the time, Sora."

"But- How-?" Sora sputtered in disbelief. It was obvious he had never considered that a possibility.

"I'm not saying that's the case," Leon hated seeing Sora this worked up. "But you need to realize this. There is no guarantee that Cloud will help. He can be a rather selfish bastard."

"He's not selfish," corrected Aerith, "A little self-centered, yes."

"Whatever. The point is, he disappeared months ago, no one knows what happened to him, and he hasn't seen fit to bother contacting us to at least tell us that he's okay." A note of anger had crept into his voice.

Aerith frowned, "He has his reasons, Leon."

Leon waved the explanation off.

Rather than get into a debate over it, she sighed and turned back to Sora. "Do you have any idea where you want to start looking?"

The boy shook his head. "He could be anywhere. I thought maybe they ended up back at the Coliseum, but I don't know. No one's seen Sephiroth either."

Aerith tilted her head thoughtfully for a long moment. She studied Sora carefully. As if making up her mind about something, she straightened; "There's someone who knows more about the Jenova project than probably anyone outside Hojo himself. He may also be able to help you locate Cloud."

Mickey apparently knew whom she was referring to; "You know where he is?"

"Cid does."

"Who?" demanded Sora, not liking everyone talking around him.

"Yuffie doesn't know these three are here, and if she sees them, she'll start following," stated Leon. "I'll send Cid here."

Aerith nodded.

"Who are you talking about?" The spiky-haired brunette repeated.

"An old friend of ours." Aerith grinned a bit oddly. "Vincent Valentine."

Kairi's eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh, he is alive? Wonderful."

Sora narrowed his eyes at his female best friend.

"Here," She turned toward the computer screen. "Tron, bring up the available information on Vincent Valentine."

"Of course, User Kairi." After a moment, a picture appeared along with a rather short listing.

"Here, it'll be easier if you just read it." Kairi moved away. She stood beside Aerith and Mickey stepped up to them.

"Will Vincent be willing to help us?" asked Mickey in a more serious tone than he usually used.

"I believe so. He really keeps on top of things." Aerith folded her arms. "He'll at least be able to answer any lingering questions."

"It still leaves the problem of finding Cloud," noted Kairi.

"Vinny might have a few ideas on that." Cid grumbled around his cigarette. He walked up to the little group; Leon was nowhere in sight. "All of you have to fucking swear you will not repeat what I'm about to tell you to anyone."

Kairi and Mickey nodded. The middle-aged man glanced over his shoulder, but Sora was completely engrossed in the computer.

"Vincent's home base is a world called Displaced Crossing. It's near where Traverse Town was."

Mickey nodded, "I've been there."

"Good. There's an inn on the west side of town that he stays at," explained Cid. "If he's not there, wait. He will be."

"Thank you," Kairi smiled at him.

He snorted. "Don't thank me. If Leon hadn't sounded so worried 'bout the kid there, I wouldn't have told you nothing. Vincent's not gonna be happy with me."

"He'll get over it." Aerith did not seem concerned in the least.

"Yeah, eventually." Cid went toward the entrance and tossed his cigarette butt out into the former Heartless factory. "If time's as critical was you made it sound, you better get out of here."

Sora was already beside Kairi. "It is. Let's go."

He looked at Aerith, "Will you tell Leon good-bye for us?"

"Of course." She gave the boy a quick hug. "You'll find a way to help Riku, Sora."

"Yeah," Sora sounded confident but there was uncertainty in his eyes. "All I gotta do is find Cloud. Then everything will be fine."

Aerith looked a bit worried, but said nothing.

"Tell the vamp he could come visit once in a while," stated Cid as the trio began to pass him on their way out.

"Will do." Sora waved a hand, "See ya."

Aerith stepped up to Cid and they both watched the small group leave. Cid pulled out another cigarette. "You think Spiky's gonna be willing to help them?"

Aerith frowned, "I don't know…but he has talked about Riku before."

"And?"

A touch of a smile crossed her face. "He certainly worried about him."

"Humph," the mechanic grunted. "Well, it's something. I'm goin' back to work."

Thank you, all. Just a reminder, Seiya is borrowed. Keep reviewing, guys.