Riku lands in Hollow Bastion beside Ventus and Kairi with little effort. He's anxious to see Sora again but he keeps up with Ven and Kairi's leisurely pace as the three of them make their way towards the castle.
Speaking of Ven and Kairi, the two seem to have become fast friends. Kairi has spent most of her time with Ven talking about Keyblades and Gliders and other worlds he's been to and Ventus is all too happy to recite some of his adventures.
Adventures that Riku had heard as well. Stories about chasing after his friend, Terra, conflicts with another friend, Aqua, and his old Master, Eraqus, and his struggles with a masked boy named Vanitas. He'd been more reluctant to talk about the last one, trying to skirt around it, and Kairi had been more than willing to let it go in favor of hearing about her fellow Princesses of Heart.
Riku was incredibly curious, though. Ventus' demeanor had changed completely. One minute he had been a cheery, open boy and the next moment he looked like a war veteran trying to avoid being drawn back into the past.
They're making their way back through the maze that leads to the inner working of the castle when they come across an angry looking Yuffie.
Ven instantly stops and asks, "Yuffie, what's wrong?"
Yuffie glares at the floor, "Sora did a one eighty, and that stupid jerk-butt is just-" She cuts herself off and storms off.
Riku had stopped listening after the words 'Sora did a one eighty' were uttered. He quickly makes his way farther into the castle. When he bursts into the common room in the castle, he quickly spots Sora asleep on a couch – someone must have pulled it in so they could keep an eye on Sora constantly – but otherwise unharmed.
Riku quickly makes his way over to Sora and checks for a pulse. He's relieved to find one this time. He registers Kairi entering the room in the back of his mind, but his main thought process is trying to figure out why Sora had passed out and when.
"Oh, Sora, you lazy bum. I should have known I'd find you snoozing here." Kairi whispers, saddened, as she kneels beside the couch and cards her hand through Sora's wild spikes.
The door on the other side of the room opens, but Riku and Kairi don't look up from their childhood friend.
"I see you're back." Leon calls.
"What happened to Sora?"
"We don't know."
"Who found him?" Kairi asks next.
"That'd be me, actually." The voice makes Riku pause and in his peripheral vision he can see Kairi tensing up.
Riku turns around to find the source of the voice he'd only semi-recognized. Axel is leaning against one of the console boards with his arms crossed over his chest and a smug expression on his face.
"You." Kairi accuses, as if Axel's existence is crime enough.
"You're welcome, by the way." He raises an eyebrow, "Sora was unconscious and Heartless were gathering when I found him."
"Why help him?" Riku asks, knowing this wouldn't be the first time.
"How are you alive?" Kairi asks from beside him and Riku thinks her question is more important.
Axel shrugs, as if it answers both questions unequivocally.
"When did you find him?"
"Friday," Is Leon's curt reply, "Right after you two left."
"He's been unconscious for two and a half days?!" Kairi freaks.
Leon shakes his head, "Almost three for us."
Riku wants to ask if they have any ideas as to why Sora passed out but Ventus walks in with, a much calmer, Yuffie and Riku thinks that has to be trippy for Axel.
"Is Sora okay?" Ven asks, walking over to Riku and Kairi who are kneeling beside Sora on a new couch.
"Alive, but unconscious." Riku answers, glancing away for a second before focusing on Sora again.
"Axel, this is-" Kairi starts talking but a voice from the other side of the room interrupts.
"Roxas?"
Ven looks over and sees a tall, lean man with vibrant red hair and green eyes looking at him like he's seen a ghost. The name was obviously directed at him and Kairi had once used the same name when they'd first met. Does he really look like this Roxas person?
Ven furrows his eyebrows in confusion and he tilts his head, "Who's Roxas?"
"This is Ventus. Sora found him a while ago and woke him up. We think he's been sleeping for a while." Ventus, this is Axel –"
"It's Lea, actually." The redhead interrupts, not looking away from Ventus and it creeps the blond out a bit.
"What happened to 'It's Axel. A-X-E-L, Got it memorized?'"
"I'm human again, so I'm using my human name. It's Lea now."
The name sounds familiar but when Ventus tries to think of where he knows the name from, all he can imagine is a kid his own age with red hair and vibrant green eyes.
Could they be the same person? He has a similar manner of speaking – from what he's heard – and they do look similar, the man in front of him just looks older.
Ventus panics. How long had he been asleep before Sora had found him?
"Wait a minute. Lea? From Radiant Garden?"
Axel – or Lea – whips his head back to Ven with shocked eyes.
"About this tall," He holds up his hand to the right height, "best friends with a guy named Isa?!"
He stands up, looking absolutely thrilled, "Yes."
Ventus starts freaking out, "There's no way you're Lea! I met him -" He stops. How long ago had he seen Lea? How long has it been for him? How long has it really been?
Sora groans from his spot on the couch and suddenly his conversation with Lea is put on hold as Sora opens his eyes. But they look…off. Lifeless, like there's no one behind them.
"Sora?" Riku asks, looking passive save for his eyes. He eyes scream of fear.
Sora looks at Riku but doesn't respond to his name being called. He doesn't even look like he recognizes Riku at all.
"Sora?" Kairi calls.
Sora looks at her as well, but she gets the same response.
"Maybe Sora lost his memories and has no idea who you are." 'Lea' laughs.
Ventus feels a bit of rage flow through him. What a horrible thing to suggest, even if it were to turn out to be the truth. He wants to yell at Lea, make him apologize, but he catches a glimpse of Riku and his heart breaks for him.
Riku looks full blown petrified of the idea and Ven feels even more anger towards the male red head. The Lea he knew – even for that short time – had been friendly, nice, and caring.
"Sora, do you know who I am?" Riku asks, grabbing onto Sora's hand.
Sora blinks a few times and his eyebrows furrow, "Riku?"
Sora sits up, not letting go of Riku's hand – Ventus can see the relief that overcomes Riku – and the brunet rubs at his eyes.
"When did you get back?"
Riku chuckles, "Just now."
"Kairi?" Sora asks, looking around.
"Hey, Sora. You feeling okay?"
Sora looks at her confused but nods. Ven's shocked when she punches him in the arm.
"You left! We made this deal to work it out together and you LEFT!"
Sora rubs his arm and quickly scoots behind Riku, "I'm sorry! I just couldn't take the nagging anymore!"
Kairi deflates and nods, "You can't keep running off and then get mad at us when we want to do things on our own. If you want us to face things together, we have to face things together, Sora."
Sora hangs his head in shame, but nods, "Right."
It's silent for a minute before Sora looks up in confusion, "Wait, how did I get here?"
"That would be me." Lea calls from his spot by the console.
Sora stares at him in shock for a bit before standing up.
"Axel?"
"It's Lea now, but yeah, it's-" Lea stops talking when Sora hugs him tightly, though it's actually more like a tackle.
"You're alive!" Sora chirps, sounding ecstatic.
Lea adopts a somber and melancholy look, "Yeah. It's good to see you, too, Sora." He pats his head a few times before Sora lets go of him.
"Sorry about that!" He laughs.
"No problem, Sora." He's silent for a moment, "How's Roxas?"
And suddenly, Ven's heart is bleeding for Lea because the pain and longing on his face as he asks such a simple question should not exist.
Who's this Roxas person and where is he?
"Oh. Uh." Sora looks perturbed, "I…I can't reach him."
Lea wants to rip his heart right out of his chest. Ever since he's woken up with it, it's done absolutely nothing but race from one emotion to the next and it's never a mild feeling. It's going a hundred miles an hour and it's not even slowing down to turn and change emotions.
"I haven't been able to reach Naminé in a while, either." He hears Kairi confess.
And really, he couldn't care less about the witch. He doesn't know what he's going to do now. He'd been counting on finding Sora and then finding a way to free Roxas with the help of Ienzo and the others.
I should probably mention that, he thinks to himself.
"By the way," he interrupts at the first silence he finds, "I'm not the only Organization member to wake up whole. There are a few more in one of the labs trying to find out why we're alive."
"Like who?" Riku asks, sounding upset.
"Please don't let it be Marluxia." Sora groans and Lea finds himself amused.
He hadn't liked Marluxia any more than Sora had. Then he thinks about it.
"How do you know who Marluxia is? I though Naminé fixed your memories so you wouldn't remember anything about Castle Oblivion."
"I got all of my memories back when Roxas and I merged completely in The World That Never Was."
Lea nods, a bit upset, "Anyway, no. From what I know, it's just Ienzo, Aeleus, Even, Dilan, and myself."
At the blank stares, he reiterates, "Zexion, Lexaeus, Vexen, Xaldin, and myself."
Sora and Riku utter a small 'ah' together and Lea thinks it's ridiculous how in sync the two can be. Then again, he'd been like that with Roxas some times.