Riku was still outside when Sora- now back to being himself- wandered down to the bottom of the tower. He was nervous and his hands were shaking violently; somehow, this one moment scared him more than anything else he'd had to deal with over his time as the Keyblade wielder. Not even Xehanort was as terrifying as the idea of himself hurting his friends. The fact that Vanitas's memory of doing so kept flicking through their barrier was bad enough, but the idea he could've hurt Riku…

However, the silverette was fine. He looked a little exhausted and confuddled, but he was fine, and even gave Sora a small smile when he came out.

"Hey. You feeling better?" he asked, and Sora bit his lip.

"He didn't do anything, did he?" Sora blurted, wringing his hands.

Riku raised his eyebrows, before shaking his head. "No. We just talked. Threatened me here and there, but I think that's his style. I think there would've been trouble if he'd run into anyone else, but he said that I'm the only one he likes. Whatever that means."

Sora could feel an affirmation, like a nod, so he believed it, letting out a long, exhausted sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're ok, Riku. I was really scared for a minute there."

"So…you'd rather I not give that piece of your heart back, right?" the silverette murmured, and Sora raised his eyebrows in surprise, before tapping the end of his shoe against the ground.

"I don't know. Vanitas…what he is and was capable of scares me."

Riku nodded, before exhaling loudly. "So you don't think you could ever do that?"

"No" said Sora firmly, before he swallowed. "…I don't understand his reasoning."

"Sora" said Riku, getting to his feet and placing his hands on Sora's upper arms. "If I'm right, Vanitas's personality…it's a darker version of yours. A very dark version of yours. I don't know how skewed it was, or how much was due to circumstances, but…"

Sora looked at his feet, clenching his fist. "Yeah. You're right, Riku. The emotions I get from him…It's not like I can't feel that way, I'm just not in a position where those emotions are relevant. I have all my friends, and the light, and hope that one day we'll be free of Xehanort…"

The brunette placed a hand over his heart, still looking downcast. "I don't think he had that, Riku. He didn't have anyone."

The thought brought forward an overwhelming swirl of loneliness that was quickly curtailed, as though the origin point didn't want him feeling it, but Sora knew it was there anyway.

"It's your decision, Sora, not his. Take your time."

So much to do, so little time.

Sora nodded, giving Riku a small smile. "Thanks, Riku. I have no idea how I'd make it through this without you these days."

The silverette grinned and ruffled his hair, taking a step back. "I'm not going anywhere. Not this time."

Sora nodded, ignoring the mumbled incomprehsible babble that echoed in his mind afterward. Despite his trepidation, a part of Sora was getting very frustrated at the fact he couldn't understand a word of what Vanitas said unless he was about to overwhelm him.

'Course, that'd change if he took the piece of his heart back, but…

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the train pulling up, and the two boys looked toward the hill to see Lea, Ventus, Donald and Goofy. Despite the distance, Sora immediately noticed something was wrong with Ventus; his head was bowed, and his hands were clenched into tight fists. Lea waved when he saw them, leading the silent Ventus and the rest of the entourage to Riku and Sora.

"Hey" said the red-head, assuming a smile, but Sora could see worry in his eyes.

"Is Ven alright?" he asked Sora, looking concerned.

Lea rubbed the back of his head. "He's having…issues. He can't decide on who he is."

"Wait, they're not separate?" Sora asked, and Ven's head snapped up immediately, the blonde boy jumping forward and grabbing Sora's jacket.

"You're separate, aren't you?" he asked, his eyes full of desperation. "You're not him at this moment."

"No, not really" said Sora awkwardly, his mind flooding with a sort of gleeful curiosity. "I feel some of what he feels, but there are barriers between us."

"We need a barrier" the blonde said, his grip tightening. "I don't- we don't- he doesn't- we're not ready to be one."

Sora blinked in confusion. Were the two really melded together like that? If it kept going, neither of them would accept the other; Roxas may have only existed for a year, but Sora knew he was stubborn and strong-willed, and Ventus was the same. Neither was going to go down without a fight, especially not really understanding the other…Sora didn't want to see what the result could be.

I know how to separate them.

Sora blinked a few times, before biting his lip. "I don't trust you to do that" he mumbled under his breath.

I haven't hurt anyone close to you, Sora. And as much as seeing Ventus suffering pleases me, this is one of those times where I –think- you're supposed to step up and be the bigger person or something ridiculous like that. I don't know. Nobody taught me this stuff.

"So you're not going to pull anything funny?" Sora hissed.

Wouldn't dream of it.

"Riku" said Sora, looking up at him. "Vanitas says he knows how to set up a barrier."

"You're not letting that guy anywhere near my head!" the blonde shouted, looking both angry and terrified as he let him go.

"You'll destroy yourselves otherwise!" Sora snapped. "If something's going wrong, Riku can and will step in."

"Are you sure, Sora?"

The brunette bit his lip again, before folding his arms. "He said he wanted to step up and be the bigger person. Maybe I'm having an influence on him or something."

Oh shut up, you idiot. You have nothing to do with this.

Sora rolled his eyes, before he looked at Ven.

"I won't hurt you. I won't let him hurt you, either."

"You say that now" the blonde hissed.

"What do I get out of putting up a barrier between you two?" Sora muttered, starting to look annoyed. "What does he get out of it? It's not like we're putting you at a disadvantage, we're in a worse position than you will be. You'll be able to talk and communicate like two separate people."

"…It'll stop…the confusion, right?"

"Yeah. One person at a time" said Sora with a nod.

The blonde hesitated for a few more seconds, before Riku gave him a small nod. Ven swallowed, before exhaling and giving a short, nervous nod.

Alrighty, time for me to waltz in and steal the show. Move over, fatass.

Before Sora could protest to the insult his cerulean blue eyes had flickered into amber, and the brown of his hair faded into midnight black. Ven took an instinctive step backward, which he responded to with a sneer.

"Not going to hurt you, idiot" he snapped, folding his arms. Lea raised his eyebrows.

"…Did Sora just hit a second puberty or something?"

"No, Vanitas speaks in a lower octave" corrected Riku.

"C'mere" Vanitas stated shortly. "And no funny business."

"Same to you!" snapped Ven heatedly, which earned him nothing more than a dark chuckle as the raven-haired boy stepped forward, delicately placing his hands on either side of the blonde's head.

"Close your eyes" he commanded, and the blonde grimaced before snapping them shut. The other's closed as well, and a look of genuine concentration filled his face.

Ventus wasn't entirely sure what happened next. He knew that one moment his mind was battling for dominance with Roxas, and the next moment there was a drifting name, a name he didn't know and couldn't recall even if he did, the name of a girl he had never met. And he was alone…sort of. Now he could hear him, clear as day, more or less expressing relief at no longer being stuck in one instance.

Ventus opened his eyes to see Sora giving him a small, yet curious smile. "Did it work?" he asked, and the blonde nodded.

"I can hear him. He's asking me about Vanitas, actually."

"Shouldn't he know?"

"He wants my take."

Sora grinned, putting his hands behind his head. "Well, fair enough."

"I'm still in shock that he didn't pull anything" Lea said in surprise.

Sora looked appalled. "Have you been going around telling everyone?!"

Ventus looked a bit guilty all of a sudden. "I have…but there's no denying he's dangerous!"

The brunette exhaled, nodding a bit. "Yeah. Hate to see him angry."

"You're not exactly pleasant when angry either" Lea quipped.

He gave Lea a sheepish grin, though there was a dark gleam in his eyes.

Ventus gave a short nod, before wandering off from the group, murmuring to himself in a one-sided conversation. Lea raised an eyebrow.

"…Are you sure separating them was a good idea?"

"With how stubborn Roxas is, it was probably for the best" said Riku, folding his arms and nodding. "Neither of them were going to relinquish who they were easily, but maybe this way they can adjust."

"Mhm" said Sora. "I think it'd be the only way for me, also" he added, looking at the ground. "So…um. I've decided, about that piece of my heart. I want it back."

Riku raised his eyebrows. "Did Vanitas's behaviour just now change your mind?"

Sora shook his head, wringing his hands. "I'm never going to be able to adjust this way. I can't even understand what he wants unless he's right under my skin, almost in control. If we were connected…maybe the wounds in Vanitas's heart will begin to heal."

"You really think it's wounds?" Lea asked, one red eyebrow quirking upward. "From what I've heard, that guy sounds like a plain and simple nasty person."

Sora grimaced, clenching and unclenching his fists, before exhaling. "…He had my personality, at first. Make of that what you want."

Lea folded his arms, his expression serious, but he said nothing. Riku looked at Sora, trying to think of something to say that would change the brunette's mind, but he came up with nothing.

"Ok, Sora. We'll have to ask Master Yen Sid on how to do this properly…so long as you promise to come to me if you feel anything's going wrong, if you think you can't handle it, alright?"

"Of course" said Sora with a grin. The last thing he wanted was for this situation to lead into a reverse-role repeat of what had happened to Riku. Sora held back a shudder at the very thought.


The seven of them stood before Yen Sid's desk, patiently awaiting instruction. Mickey was standing next to him, a look of worry painted on the mouse's face.

"You are certain, Sora?" he asked, stroking his beard, and Sora nodded, thumbing his nose.

"There's no way I can face an enemy blind, right?" he said. "And without that part of my heart…that's exactly what I'm doing."

"I see. Then…it is safe to assume what happened at the bottom of the tower was exactly what was needed to exchange that part of your heart."

Riku and Sora glanced between one another; neither liked the idea of having to go through that again, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad if they monitored it.

"If you are prepared, we should begin immediately."

The Master waved his hand, the wardrobe door shifting for a few seconds, the door handles changing shape and the colour changing to blue. He stood, leading the group into it. The room was circular and empty, only with a few star-shaped windows.

"We will stand watch and intervene should anything go wrong" said Yen Sid, standing along the wall. The rest of the group stood along the walls. Donald, Goofy and Mickey looked nervous, Lea's expression was unreadable, but the two pairs of blue eyes looking at him were filled with a strange determined sort of trepidation.

Hang on.

Sora suddenly counted on his fingers. Riku, Sora, Lea, Donald, Goofy, Ventus. Six, seven including Yen Sid, so why were there eight people in the room?!

And then it clicked.

The brunette blinked, staring. Standing next to Ventus, his arms folded and mirroring the other's expression, was Roxas. Undeniably Roxas. He was wearing the cream, black and red clothing Sora had seen him in when he'd disappeared right before the final battles with Xemnas; but unless Sora focused on him, really was determined to see, noticing him was nigh impossible. If he wasn't staring directly into his blue eyes, Sora couldn't see him, not really. He was sort of there.

The blonde blinked a few times, before elbowing Ventus, mouthing words that Sora couldn't hear. Ven raised his eyebrows, looking at Sora.

"Can you see him?" he asked, and Sora nodded.

"Huh?" Riku asked from beside him.

"Don't worry, I'll explain later" Sora assured him, as they walked out into the centre of the room. Nerves welled up inside Sora's chest, the brunette clenching and unclenching his fist. He didn't know how this was going to go, but his heart told him this was the right thing to do. And he wasn't about to stop listening to his heart now.

"Alright" said Riku, swallowing a bit. "Are you ready, Sora?"

"Ready as I'll ever be" said the brunette, thumbing his nose. Yen Sid exhaled, watching the two boys.

"This is a matter of simply emulating the circumstances that caused the incident earlier."

"I know" said Riku calmly, stepping into the middle of the room. He took a second to turn away from his best friend, clenching his fist and turning his head downward, making it impossible for Sora to see his expression. And as he did, memories slowly flashed through Sora's mind.

A windswept, stormy ocean crashing against the island, the palm trees leaves shaking dangerously in the wind. The sky black and blue, a red and black orb floating ominously above them.

The door has opened.

What?

Riku turned, his aquamarine eyes painted with worry, his adam's apple bobbing in his throat, but in his mind's eye Sora saw something different. Glinting with a strange sort of excitement, the same look he got whenever they spoke of the raft, of the possibility of other worlds, along with something else. Something dark.

The door has opened, Sora! Now we can go to the outside world!

What are you talking about!? We have to find Kairi!

Kairi's coming with us!

Dead silence, their eyes locked for a few moments, and Riku glanced upward.

Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again, there's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us!

"I'm not afraid of the darkness" Sora whispered, holding a hand over his heart, as Riku held his hand out to him.

This time, they weren't going anywhere without each other.

Sora stepped forward and clasped Riku's hand, and the reaction was immediate. Puddles of swirling purple and black appeared beneath their feet, tendrils of darkness crawling around their limbs. The room filled with the darkness's heady scent, filling his nostrils and making it difficult to breathe. He could feel the anxiety emanating from the others in the room; clearly they hadn't expected anything so drastic, but with neither Sora or Riku showing any panic on their faces, there seemed to be no need to rush forward.

The creeping, slithering sensation against his skin returned, the darkness wrapping itself around the both of them. Clouds of darkness crackled around them as they were clothed in the dark suits, the waist-mounted capes billowing with the energy. Sora was sure he heard gasps of surprise and shock, but the crackling of the darkness was getting too loud now, drowning them out and filling the room. The darkness swirled, the room suddenly plunging into pitch-black darkness for a moment, before it cleared, leaving the room mostly darkness-free.

However, unlike Riku, who had been stripped off the clothing along with the rest of the darkness, Sora's dark suit took a few more seconds to disappear in a cloud of red and black energy, leaving him back in his normal clothes. He staggered forward, collapsing onto Riku, who caught him haphazardly, trying to hold his best friend upright.

"That was exhausting" the brunette murmured. Riku gave him a small smile, as the rest of the group stepped toward them.

"Are you alright, Sora?" Donald asked first.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Sora said, giving him a small smile. "Just a bit tired now."

"You should probably rest" said Riku, pulling Sora firmly onto his feet, giving Riku a sheepish smile.

Ventus gave him a worried look. "Are you sure you're alright? You're not Vanitas pretending to be Sora, are you?"

"No" said Sora, shaking his head. "I'm one hundred percent me."

Something tapped his shoulder, almost like an agreement, and that was when Sora realized the number of people in the room had increased by one. He swallowed, goosebumps running up and down his arms. If Ventus was seeing Roxas now that they were separate and able to communicate, then…

His blue eyes flicked sideward, and were met by amber, their bearer giving him a smirk.

Sup, Sora?


Sorry this took me so long, guys! I do still have ideas for this fic, but Contrast has been attracting most of my interest writing-wise. I'm going to casually plug that here. It's an AU and is intended for a bit of an older audience + is a dedicated yaoi fic, but if you enjoy the way Sora/Riku/Vanitas interact it's definitely for you. Plus vampires and Cleon.

For those reading this despite the ghey implications, I'm both astounded and deeply flattered to hear such. This fic's K+ so I promise it's never going to get beyond implications and my glazing over of Kairi's existence. Anybody noticed that yet? No? Good. Hurr hurr. Not like KH3D didn't do the same thing right up until the secret ending.