Author's Note: So I'm pretty much jipped of my Spring break and not happy about it. The day after I restarted KH2, I had to go to my aunt's and she won't let me try to figure out how to use her TV to play it. I'm not a happy camper. Other than that, I've really been loaded down with school work. Had my states writing exam and like 3 papers to write for English plus a science project. It was really hectic. UHK!

StoopidMonkey—You know when you're eating pizza and you suddenly get the urge to eat toffee, but there is none because you rarely eat it? Well that's kinda what I want to hear from you about what couple you wanna see have action. I seriously don't think I can give you any angst free RiSo action in this fic. In my other story, definitely, but not this one. But yeah. I love Kadaj. He's all over the place. And Axel is definitely in character there. I can so see it too.

PhinMaginOnly—I know how you feel. I'm the same way. I always want the main characters to be happy, but I love it just as much as the angst they go through. Too much happy makes a story too dull.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or The Road to El Dorado. If I did, I wouldn't be here, now would I?

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Sora was seated on the floor of the gummy ship with Kairi's head resting on his lap. Leon had washed the gunshot wound out with a potion and used cure to mend the rest of the damage. Despite that, though, Kairi had not woken up. It had been at least six hours since the incident, and Sora was beginning to feel extremely worried. After only three hours, Sora had convinced Leon to take the gummyship and turn around if she didn't wake up soon. Leon was just now reving up to warp back to Radiant Garden.

Kairi seemed paler than normal. That worried Sora most of all. The thought of some kind of poisioned bullet rang through his head. He didn't know if he'd be able to deal with loosing Kairi. He didn't think he could deal with another death, figuratively or physically. Losing Riku again under those circumstances, was almost too much. Losing Kairi would definitely send Sora over the edge.

When the ship pulled out of warp, they were just outside of Radiant Garden. It was high time that they visited Merlin, in Leon's opinion. With Sora worried over Kairi and himself concerned at their current magical capabilities, it was definitely a good idea. Leon signaled Cid that they were back and that they would be landing. It took a few moments for Cid to actually find an open dock, but after that, there were no problems landing. Leon felt slightly accomplished by that. It was high time that they visited Merlin, in Leon's opinion. With Sora worried over Kairi and himself concerned at their current magical capabilities, it was definitely a good idea. Leon signaled Cid that they were back and that they would be landing. It took a few moments for Cid to actually find an open dock, but after that, there were no problems landing. Leon felt slightly accomplished by that. It had been years since he'd piloted a gummyship. The last time had been when he and the others had returned to Hallow Bastion to reclaim it as their own.

Sora was up as fast as lightning to carry Kairi off to Merlin. Leon was close behind and yelled at Cid for him to secure the gummy. Sora just wasn't going to wait any longer. Cid grumbled at them as they passed by, but moved towards the ship, nonetheless. Leon easily directed Sora down the streets in the growing city to Merlin's new home. Upon arrival, Sora began banging on the door. It took a few moment for a startled Merlin to answer his door.

"Oh, dear! Sora! What are you doing here? I though the King said you would be off in other worlds with Riku?" the old wizard said, ushering them in.

"That's just it," Leon said, "Riku's been taken back in by the darkness. We think organization XIII has him."

"Organization XIII? But I thought they were all destroyed. How odd."

"And on top of that, some people are running around claiming to be minions of Sephiroth. We've run into two. One of them Shot Kairi and she hasn't woken up since!" Sora exclaimed, taking Kairi over to Merlin's bed. He laid her gently down on the bed.

"Oh, dear," Merlin said, moving over to have a look at the red head. "How long had she been out?"



"About six or seven hours. We thought she fainted from shock, but she should be awake by now," Sora said, grabbing a hold of Kairi's hand.

"It even appeared that the bullet went all the way through," Leon said, leaning against the wall by the bed.

"This is most peculiar. Give me a moment to see if there is anything wrong," Merlin said as he pulled out his wand and waved it over Kairi. He was quiet for a few moments as he deciphered what he felt. "My. It seems that the bullet must have been coated in some powerful sleeping poison. Let me see if I have something already."

The old man scurried about the house, looking at the different concoctions he'd already made. Sora stayed by Kairi's side, keeping a firm grip on her hand. He couldn't help but feel guilty for all of this. If he hadn't had ignored Riku to begin with, nothing might have happened. Their adventures seven years ago might have been so drastically different, and Riku may never have run away again. But there wasn't anything that Sora could do to change the past, and that weighed on his heart more than all. He didn't need to lose Kairi to his carelessness either.

"Aha!" Merlin cried, pulling Sora out of his thoughts. The younger brunette looked over to Merlin as he came back. The wizard held out a small flask. "This is a remedy. It's good for all ailments, but don't expect it to heal any wounds. Sit the girl up and let's see if we can get her to drink it."Sora watched as Merlin pulled Kairi up slightly and put the flask to her lips. He forced the drink down her throat. After the remedy was completely downed, he layed her flat again and waited for her to rise on her own. Kairi layed still for a few moments before her eyes started to blink open. The red head groaned slightly as she tried to sit up. Sora imideatly pulled her into a hug.

"Sora?" Kairi asked uncertainly, hugging the brunette back uncertainly. "What happened?"

"You got shot by some guy. You didn't wake up after a long time and we brought you here. We're at Merlin's in Radiant Garden," Sora hastily explained into Kairi's hair. "You were poisoned."

"But I'm awake now, so there shouldn't be any worries," Kairi said, looking around the room. Leon grunted from where he was against the wall.

"I should probably report to the King. He needs to be briefed on what's happened. Wait here until I get back," Leon commanded. The older brunette pushed himself off the wall and head towards to door. Sora slowly let go of Kairi and turned to face Merlin.

"Do you have any more Remedies?" Sora asked, moving to sit beside his fiancé.

"Yes, I do, but not many. But the moogles should be able to make you more if you bring them the right materials. Let me go find the recipe!" Merlin wondered off again, leaving the two lovers alone. Sora pulled Kairi close to him once again.

"I was so afraid I was going to lose you. I don't think I could stand losing the two most important people in my life again," Sora whispered.

"Sora… You won't lose me, ever. And we will get Riku back. I promise. It might take longer and a lot more work this time we will. We'll drag him back with a concussion if we have to," Kairi said, hugging Sora back just as tightly.

"But I'm afraid that I'm going to have to fight him. I'm afraid of what might happen. I don't want to hurt anymore, Kairi. I was being a total ass and I didn't realize it. I thought I was helping by telling him what I thought."

"He's going to want to fight you, you know. Riku has always been the physical type of guy. Remember when we were young and he used to challenge you to anything and everything to get my attention? I think that was his way of trying to make you fall in love with him or at least feel his pain."

"He's liked me since then?" Sora asked, slightly shocked.

"I could only guess so. Leon said that Riku had been cutting since he was fourteen, right? It coincides pretty well."

"I always thought that he just might have woken up one day during our adventures and realized he liked me. That or after we defeated Xemnas. I really didn't think that he'd…"

"It's alright, Sora. We'll try to fix things. I know we can get somewhere with him. The wounds are probably deep, but I know that we can at least start to heal them. Don't give up."



Sora nodded his head slightly as Merlin returned to the couple handing them a recipe. Sora took it and looked over it somberly. "Thanks," he murmured, slipping back into his thoughts.

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"So Riku's returned to the darkness and Organization XIII is back? This is far worse than I thought," Mickey said, rubbing his chin in thought. Leon nodded at the figure upon the screen.

"I don't know what any of us could have done to prevent this. I think it was inevitable, especially with Sora and Riku being reunited like that. Sparks were bound to fly eventually," Leon said gravely.

"I suppose you're right. I knew something was off the way Riku was looking at Sora and Kairi. He destroyed a whole shelf of books too! He wasn't going to last long under that kind of stress, no matter how strong his heart had become."

"I'm not so sure of that. He was with Sephiroth for a few years as a lover. Sephiroth would have come back sooner or later to get him. Riku is incredibly strong, and Sephiroth spent a long time trying to bring that dark power out."

"Oh, dear! This is even worse! I don't know how we will be able to handle Sephiroth, the Organization, and Maleficent!"

"Maleficent? Don't tell me…"

"Unfortunately. We have seen enough evidence to convince us that she too has decided to move."

"Are you sure it's not just Sephiroth? Both Virginia and Elicoor had heartless and men that connected themselves to Sephiroth. Isn't Sephiroth considered the Dark General?"

"Yes, but… Wait? Others are in League with Sephiroth?"

"Yes. Cloud, though we haven't seen him yet, and at least two other young men. One of them shot Kairi with a poison bullet. Merlin already has the situation under control."

"Thank heaven! I'm glad Kairi's safe. Things would be much harder for Sora if she died," the mouse said, whipping his brow.

"Yes. Speaking of them, I should probably get back. We need to leave as soon as possible. We have to find Riku and incapacitate him as soon as possible," Leon said, moving towards the screen's control panel.

"Yes, that would be wise. Good luck," Mickey said, disconnecting the connection. Leon sighed. This would definitely be a long journey for all of them.

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Sora moved somewhat sluggishly through the gummyship hanger. He was somewhat disheartened to journey, but he knew he had to. He had to regain Riku's friendship, or at least get him back on the side of the Light. It was his duty. He owed it to Riku. Kairi quietly nudged the brunette forward into the gummyship and pushed him into a seat. Leon took his place in the driver's seat.

Sora stared down at his hands, or more specifically, the ring on his finger. Merlin had caught sight of it and had gone wild over it. He had said that it was some sort of magical charm that absorbed magical energy released around it over time. Merlin had raised the question of how Sora had received a ring like that that contained almost pure dark energy. It made Sora's mind reel. There was no way that Riku had bought the ring before Sora had arrived on Radiant Garden. The ring was too untarnished. That had to mean that in the span of about a week, Riku had released enough Dark energy to fill the stone halfway.



Sora wondered idly, while Leon was pulling into warp mode, if it was all of Riku's pain and depression that was leaking into the ring or just his pure power. The feelings would explain the wave of intense emotion he felt when he put the ring on, but not all of the energy it stored. It was a mystery that Sora would have to solve the next time he ran into Riku.

"We're here. I'm going to beam us down now," Leon's gruff voice cut through Sora's thoughts. It was time for Sora to pull himself together. He needed to put a smile on his face and take this new world on head first. Things would get better. They would get Riku back.

When Sora's feet touched the ground, a collective gasp sounded around him and the others. He glanced around to see a land filled with gold. On closer inspection, he noticed people bowed low to the ground towards them. This confused him, but it wasn't long until they were approached by a fat man and tall, skinny man. The Skinny man stepped forward.

"My, the other Gods have arrived so soon! We did not expect you to come so soon. Welcome to El Dorado. I am Tzekel-Kan, the High Priest."

"And I am the Chief!" the fat man proclaimed pushing the skinner away.

"Uh, Gods? We're—" Sora started, but was cut off by Leon's hand.

"I'm Leon, and this is Sora. The woman with us is Kairi," Leon said rather straight forward. He turned to Sora and whispered into his ear, "This could work to our benefit. Let's play along for a little while." Sora nodded before popping his head over Leon's shoulder.

"Hey, by any chance, have you seen a rather tall, skinny guy with silver hair and aqua eyes?" The younger brunette asked.

"Ah! You must mean either Lord Riku or Lord Kadaj. Would you like to see them now? We can take them to you!" Tzekel-kan answered. Sora's eyes brightened immediately.

"Riku's here? Please!" He said, pushing forward and grabbing the priest's hands.

"Ever enthusiastic, I see. Just as Lord Axel described you. Right this way," Tzekel-kan said. The priest motioned the group forward towards a large set of steep stairs. They moved forward slowly, the Chief joining them. The chief pushed his way up to Sora.

"It is unfortunate that you missed the sacrifice offered to your godly brethren this morning. They had a wonderful time slaying heartless. Or at least Lord Riku and Lord Axel did," the man said, looking over at Sora apologetically.

"Oh. I see. That seems a little odd for them, though. Why on earth would they want to slay the heartless?" Sora asked himself. The chief shook his head.

"I do not know. But is there any way that we may please you, your greatness? Another sacrifice, perhaps, or maybe a feast?" The chief's voice raised in hope at the end of his sentence.

"Mmmmm. A feast sounds wonderful. Please! That would be great! I'm sure Kairi would enjoy it, and I know Leon needs to lighten up some. He's such a stickler," Sora said, putting his hands behind his head.

"I heard that!" Leon growled from farther up the staircase. Sora only laughed in response.

"So a feast it shall be!" the chief said happily. The travelers fell silent as they continued the rest of the way up the pyramid. When they reached the top, Tzekel-kan pulled back the curtains to reveal a plush room, filled with comfortable pillows. Sitting in the room was a lone figure. Sora's eyes hardened.

"We'll leave you gods be for now," Tzekel-kan said, dropping the curtain after Sora, Kairi and Leon moved into the room.

"Axel," Sora said, stepping towards the man.

"Sora. It's been a while. How are you? Ready to give up Roxas yet?" Axel said, leaning back and gazing at Sora through half lidded, cat-like eyes.

"Where's Riku?" Sora snapped, taking another step forward.



"Calm down, big boy. I'm only here right now to deliver a warning from lover boy. Next time you meet, don't hold back. Riku will take you out without mercy." With those words, Axel stood and opened a portal.

"Wait!" Sora cried, "Is he still here?"

"Oh, he's around. He just didn't want to see your face," Axel said with a smirk before stepping into the portal.

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For Sora, adjusting to being waited on hand and foot was particularly hard. He had guilt crawling up his spine that was whispering and hissing that he shouldn't be living it up like a god, but out there searching for Riku. The big problem was the people thought he was a god and that severely limited his capability to move. Kairi, on the other hand was living it up and enjoying it a little too much. Leon seemed to be somewhere in the middle, not knowing whether to enjoy or cast off the prodding servants, resulting in a rather awkward looking man.

Sora was currently getting pushed and pulled into an outfit similar to the native peoples'. When the servants finally back off, he felt ridiculous. Sure, living on an island gave him enough practice when dealing with people while not wearing a shirt, but he felt utterly estranged in the skirt-like wrap around his hips. Leon had outright refuse to change clothes, perfectly happy in his tight leather, and Kairi had thrown her clothes away somewhat willingly to try on the "cute clothes" the native girls wore.

Kairi was actually pulling off the look much better than he thought she would have. A midriffless, strapless top accented her breasts well, and a low rise skirt with a slit all the way up her leg made her hips appear rounder and more inviting. Looking at his fiancé in such an outfit made him rather displeased that he wouldn't be able to take her aside and ravish her as easily as he'd liked. In fact, he would have to banish any actions like that until he found Riku again, which was turning out to be extremely hard. Kairi's flirty looks and movements weren't helping one bit.

"You look so handsome!" Kairi giggled, pushing the dressing servants away from Sora.

"I feel ridiculous. How can you stand to wear skirts?" Sora pouted trying to tug the fabric around his hips lower.

"Oh, stop that. You'll pull it off if you keep tugging at it like that," Kairi scolded, putting her hand over Sora's. She placed that other at a large necklace dangling around Sora's neck. "Besides, I ithnk you should wear a skirt more often. You look adorable in it." Kairi leaned up on her tiptoes and brushed a kiss to Sora's lips.

"Mmmmm. Well, I think you look rather sexy," Sora purred, moving back down to catch Kairi's lips again.

"You know that we should be concentrating on Riku rather than getting bedded, right?" Leon said, pulling the two lovers out of their kiss just as it was getting heated.

"Come on, Leon. Sora needs a little love to take his mind off Riku. Hell, I need it too. I'm trying to keep us sane," Kairi said, her lower lip jutting out.

"Leon's right, Kairi. I don't think Riku'd be very encouraged to return if he sees us making out or in bed together," Sora murmured, placing one last kiss on Kairi's temple.

"Fine. But are you sure you're alright?" Kairi asked, peering up into Sora's eyes.

"Yes. I'm just fine," Sora chirped, placing a large goofy grin on his face.

As soon as the sun began to set, the three 'gods' where shoved out of their cushy rooms and down the long stairs where a large party was starting to get under way. The smell of alcohol and good food wafted up even to the heights the three were at. Sora's stomach started growling at the delicious smell. The brunette glared down at his stomach, cursing his need for food. Jamestown didn't exactly have much food and they never had the chance to get any while they were at the Indian village.

Sora pondered a while over his growling stomach and decided he'd eat and hold off on the alcohol, and when everyone was nice and drunk, he'd slip off into the night to look for Riku. He knew it was dangerous, but he felt there was no other choice. The people seemed to get very uptight around him when he had tried to walk around the village 

earlier that day. Riku would have to be far away from the village if he was still around and the party presented the perfect opportunity to search the surrounding terrain.

"So this is Sora and Kairi. My look how you've grown!" a voice drawled, pulling Sora out of his thoughts. He found that he was already at the banquet table, standing in front of a large, delicious looking spread. He looked up to see who had addressed him and froze. Sitting across from him was Riku. Sora's smile dropped from his face, and he began to freak out for a moment until he realized that it was not actually Riku but a person that looked very similar. The boy looked much more like Riku did when he was sixteen than the silverette looked now.

"Kadaj?" Leon asked, with a glare in his eyes.

"Yes. Do you not recognize me? That is such a pity, because I do you, Squall. You've hardly changed," the young silverette said, propping his head on a hand and grabbing for a wine cup. He giggled slightly before raising the cup to his lips. "I felt guilty for having to miss out on the sacrifice that Axel and Riku received, but Sephiroth wanted a few words with me. Besides, there was always your party to crash. I think this might turn out more delightful than watching my brother and the pesky fireball cutting up heartless."

"Should you even be drinking that stuff?" Kairi said, crossing her arms and putting her weight on one foot.

"I can probably hold more than you ever could. I think the question is: should you be drinking?" Kadaj asked, arching an eyebrow and laughing. Kairi blushed deeply and looked away. Sora turned to her with a worried expression, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Kairi?"

"I think he's got a point there. I probably shouldn't have anything alcoholic until we have a chance to go to Destiny Islands again. We need to be sure," Kairi murmured. Sora nodded in understanding. They hadn't been procted any of the times they'd had sex since leaving Destiny Islands and they hadn't been able to find pregnancy tests or preventatives in Radiant Garden. If Sora was going to be a father, he definitely didn't want his child to be screwed up because of a night of partying.

"It's alright Kairi. You don't have to drink tonight to have a good time," Sora murmured into her ear. The brunette gently pushed them down so they were seated on a large pillow. Leon eyed the couple wearily, taking a seat beside Sora.

"Won't Riku be happy when he finds out you're here?" Kadaj said, picking up a piece of food. Sora sent the best glare he could across the table.

"I think he already knows we're here. Axel met us shortly after arrival," Sora spat.

"Well, then. He's hiding. You must feel loved. He doesn't even want to see you," Kadaj chuckled. Tzekel-kan slid up beside the silverette and whispered into his ears. Kadaj said a few words back before turning back to the others with a large, wicked grin. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that something has come up that needs my attention. I guess I'll be seeing you later."

"Good riddance," Kairi muttered under her breath as Kadaj rose and followed Tzekel-kan.

"Another follower of Sephiroth. This makes the third. Just interacting with this one makes me want to have a drink," Leon said, grabbing for the alcohol.

"I second that," Sora said, holding a cup out for Leon to pour him some too. Leon poured a glassful for himself and half for Sora. "Hey!"

"You probably shouldn't get too drunk. And I know I have a higher tolerance level," Leon said, downing the glass and reaching to refill. Sora pouted slightly before remembering that he was going to try to sneak off and find Riku that night.

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"So you're interested in learning more about the dark arts than you already do?" Kadaj asked Tzekel-kan as he walked languidly up the temple steps.

"Yes. You are a god of Darkness, are you not? Then I want you to teach me how to harness these Heartless you've released into our world. That can be done right?" Tzekel-kan went off, excitedly.

"My, aren't you eager? Yes, I can teach you, but controlling the heartless comes with a great price. Are you willing to pay it when the time comes?"

"Yes, my liege! Anything! I'll pay anything!" Tzekel-kan said, dropping to Kadaj's feet.

"Good." Kadaj smirked, and stepped around the man to continue up there steps.

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Author's Note: So we see how things are getting a little more complicated. Do you guys like where this is going? Serioiusly. I'd like to know! Please tell me in a review!! I'll love you forever!!