Author's Notes: Ahh, I am so sorry for the wait! I got some writers block, and school was eating up my time (as always). But I'm here now, and it's Spring Break! Woot!

I'm going to see if I can actually finish this story this week. There's only about three more chapters left! I have a whole week ahead of me to do it!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy! And to those waiting for one-shots, I haven't forgotten!

Chapter 25

Calm Before the Storm

When Sora woke up, he found Riku staring at him from his place leaning on the wall. He blinked for a moment, yawned, and sat up rubbing his eyes. Sunlight came through the window and illuminated the room in clear bright morning light, telling Sora that he'd slept in late.

"G'morning." Riku said with a small grin. Now that it was morning, and Riku had cleaned up a bit, and Sora wasn't nearly as shaky as he'd been the night before, he noticed how much older Riku looked now. His shoulders looked weighted down, and the expression on his face had a faint tiredness to it. And his eyes, they weren't the same—now they were almost closed, as if he'd built up mental barriers during the night and locked his emotions away.

Sora sat up and ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Is something wrong?" He asked once he could open his eyes without feeling sleep pulling them closed. Riku blinked at him and gave another smile, though this time it had a sad twist to it.

"I'm okay," He said, pushing off the wall. "Just thinking. I've been up since six. It's about eleven now." He looked out the window thoughtfully. "I was just watching you sleep."

Sora blushed at threw the blanket off his legs to hide it. "Oh."

Riku looked at him and motioned towards the door. "I'm going to make some lunch. What d'you want?"

As Sora grabbed a T-shirt to throw over the long-sleeved white shirt he'd worn to bed, he attempted a shrug. "Um… I feel like eggs."

Riku smiled at him again. "Alright. Come down when you're ready." He hesitated for a second as he turned towards the bedroom door, but seemed to shake it off, and left the room with a little wave.

Sora frowned to himself after emerging from the shirt and reaching for a pair of pants that Riku must have left out for him. He hadn't wanted to think too much on what Riku had told him last night, about their forgotten past and what had happened to him. He hadn't wanted to spoil seeing Riku again with such dark thoughts.

But now he couldn't just push them away. He'd finally been able to lie in bed next to Riku again, and now he knew that he'd done it a lot more in the past. Riku just felt so familiar and comfortable to be with. Now he realized the reason why.

My mind may have forgotten, but my body didn't. He smiled as he thought of that, and leaned against the dresser. I just want to know what we've done together… If he could just remember that, he would be happy. He couldn't even imagine how much pain and torment Riku had gone through when he was stolen into the Army, and thinking about it made him want to shake the thoughts away.

I don't know what he needs right now… he thought in sadness. Does he want to be alone? Does he want me with him? Does he resent me for forgetting? No, Riku wouldn't do that. He'd forgotten too.

With an explosive sigh, Sora tried to tame his hair a little before going downstairs to spend time with Riku. Besides, he didn't want Kadaj making a comment about Riku falling for little boys with monkey-man hair.

"An army of chocobo's."

Leon's voice was a little more dead-panned than usual. He and Cloud had gotten a few hours of sleep inside the building in a bunk room on the second floor after Cid had talked to security and confirmed their existence to Zexion. Now they were being led around the place by a rather polite girl who'd asked them to call her "Dagger". Cloud had been a little disturbed by that, but the girl was really just a polite, sweet young worker.

She nodded to Leon's exclamation and gestured behind, where a large room housed at least a hundred of the large, yellow birds. It smelled like a farm, and all of the birds were unusually silent. There were a hundred beady eyes centered on the three of them, and Cloud tried not to feel unnerved. "They've been specially bred and trained as war birds. Each has its own set of armor. We also have two of the rare white chocobo's, and one black, but only Zexion rides them."

Another thing Cloud found odd was that Dagger didn't use "master" or "sir" when she spoke of Zexion. But, he suspected that she had been told to. She was far too polite to do it on her own.

"So, when the Army comes up, you're going to storm them with a herd of chocobo riders?" Cloud asked. Dagger nodded.

"They've all been trained in the swamps. It gives us an advantage. You two, if you wish to fight, will be given a pair."

Cloud scowled as Leon nodded. He had to stay in here and short circuit the Armies mechanical instruments while Leon got to go out and shoot people with his Gunblade. He supposed he should be happy, but he thought he'd be far too worried about Leon to do much other than frantically self-destruct things.

Dagger closed the door and turned down the hallway, Leon and Cloud following behind. They were both rather tired, since they hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, but they had one more night before the Army would land. Plus, once they were finished with the tour, they could go back to their bunk and rest.

"Zexion will be by at any moment," She said suddenly as they turned down a hallway. "I will bring you to the control room so you can speak with him."

Cloud grunted and brushed his shoulder against Leon on accident. The brunet gave him a strange glance, but seemed to brush it off as clumsiness and continued walking. Cloud sighed. Whatever happened to my ability to walk as straight as a board…?

Dagger led them around the offices, down an elevator, and then into a large room full of large counters covered in computers and flashy buttons. A few people were standing around, looking over each others shoulders and murmuring to themselves. Cid was sitting in front of a monitor, chewing on the stick that replaced his cigarette, and looking thoughtful.

"Thanks for the tour," Leon told Dagger, who nodded, smiled, and turned out of the room, closing the door gently behind her. Leon started towards Cid, and Cloud followed him. When they reached the blond man and looked at the computer, Cloud was sure that only he understood the gibberish passing the screen in white letters.

"You know what this says?" Cid grunted, looking at Cloud. The blond frowned as his eyes unfocused, staring at the flashing words and numbers.

"Usually means a locked program." He said with a shrug. "People use it to lock computers sometimes."

Cid frowned and rubbed his chin. "Odd thing is, all the computers are like this."

Cloud frowned. "All of them?"

That wasn't good. Swiftly, he took a seat at the computer beside Cid and lifted his hand to the screen, letting it hover there for a second as his eyes unfocused and he went inward. Codes and numbers and symbols flew passed him, and he interpreted them all as he sifted through the data network, glancing at pictures and reading commands given.

"Someone's tampered with the system." He said as he pulled out of the computer world, blinking. "It's all white fuzz—no communication. And it's spreading to the other electronics." He looked at Leon, who wore a dark expression. "If it stays that way, even radios won't work."

Cid looked troubled. "Can you fix it?"

Cloud frowned. "I think Zexion should know first. It might just be how the system works… computers are as diverse as humans sometimes."

Cid nodded. "Alright, I'll get him." And he pushed himself up out of the seat and turned towards the door. Cloud scratched his head and scowled. The white noise was starting to bother his ears.

"Looks like the Army's first strike has landed," Leon said darkly.

Roxas pulled back from Axel's mouth and licked his lips, wondering why he'd been so stubborn about Axel kissing him before. It wasn't as bad as he'd often made it out to be. Actually, he liked it a lot, now that he was taking the time indulge in it.

He and Axel had started out in separate rooms, but not even an hour after going to bed, Axel had crept in to lie next to him in his bed. Roxas had pretended to be asleep as Axel wrapped him in a warm embrace and curled up against him. He realized that Axel needed the contact—admittedly he needed it too—and had allowed himself to be held until he fell asleep.

When he woke up, he'd seen Axel's sleeping face for the first time.

Axel had always been an early riser, and had always played it off as wanting to watch Roxas sleep. Now he understood why Axel liked to do something like that. For once Axel didn't have a smirk on his lips and a mischievous glint in his eye. His face was slack, his mouth slightly open, and expression smooth.

He really hadn't expected Axel to have such a peaceful sleeping face. It made him just lay there and stare. He understood Axel's love for watching him sleep completely, if he slept like Axel.

Then Axel's expression was broken as he squeezed his eyes and groaned. His limp arms came to life and pulled Roxas closer, and blushing, Roxas had allowed it. It felt nice, really really nice. They lay like that for a long time, and then Axel pulled back and blue met green.

Roxas had leaned foreword and just kissed him. He hadn't even done that last night, as up-strung as he was. He kissed Axel and he let all his relief and sadness and happiness bleed through it, and Axel responded fiercely.

Roxas was happy that Axel didn't say anything when the pulled apart, panting. They really didn't need to. The things that needed to be said had been said the night before, and the emotions had been exposed.

When Axel gave him a smirk-grin after a few moments, Roxas finally allowed himself to admire it without feeling guilty. "I'm hungry."

Roxas made a noise and untangled himself from the red-head, brushing his hair down as Axel climbed out of bed. He held out a hand and helped Roxas up, laughing as the blond stumbled. Roxas gave him a glare, but followed him downstairs, greeted by the smell of cooking meat and eggs.

Roxas was surprised to see Riku at the stove with a spatula and a pan, casually flipping eggs and bacon as if he'd done it for his entire life. He glanced up when the entered the kitchen and gave them a slight wave. "Morning. There's toast in the toaster, and milk in the fridge. Eggs'll be done a minute."

Axel blinked at Riku and cocked his head. "I had no idea you could cook."

The silver-haired teen just shrugged. "I've cooked my entire life. Especially here, because Kadaj explodes things whenever he touches anything in here."

"I resent that," Said the voice of Kadaj, whose body followed it from around the corner in the living room. "I made you a birthday cake once!"

Riku snorted. "It was flour molded together with yeast and sugar on the top."

Kadaj scowled and waved a hand at him. "No respect."

Axel helped himself to a cup of milk as Kadaj went from annoyed to expectant when Riku turned off the stove. "I say you're both even—not a teeny bit of respect between either of you!"

Kadaj and Riku turned icy gazes on him, but Axel had been by far immune to them. Roxas was amused despite himself.

"Morning everyone!" Sora said from the stairs as he jumped off the last step and took a deep breath. "Mmm, Riku that smells so good!"

Riku smiled at Sora, and Roxas was damned sure that he didn't look at anyone else like that. "Just grab what you want. I made enough for everyone."

Sora grinned and nodded, practically bouncing to the counter to grab a plate. Breakfast for lunch actually felt rather tempting, and Roxas got up to get himself some food, happy that Sora seemed to be back to himself.

"Where's Zexion and Yazoo?" Axel asked Riku as the silver-haired teen took a seat at the table with his own food. Riku shrugged.

"Zexion went downstairs a while ago when someone called for him, and Yazoo went after him to start getting things ready. He should be back soon."

Sora and Roxas sat down at the dining table and started digging into their food as Kadaj watched. He looked thoughtful, and turned a fierce gaze of Riku when the silver-haired teen glanced at him.

"Riku…" He started, his voice a serious tone that no one had yet heard from him. All eating stopped, and everyone turned to look at him. "Zexion doesn't want you or Sora in the battle tomorrow."

There was silence for a tense moment, then Riku spoke in a voice thick with warning. "What?"

"And I agree with him." Kadaj brushed some of his hair out of his eyes and gave Riku a harsh look. "The two of you have been through enough. You need time to rest, and a battle like this, though it can't be helped, isn't going to make things better. Zexion wants the both of you to stay here when the fight starts, with Cloud, the computer guy who's going to be hacking into the Army's machines."

Riku stood from the table, nearly knocking Axel's milk over with the force. His eyes burned "Zexion can't tell me what Sora and I can and can't do. If I want to fight, I'm going to fight!"

"I won't let you," Kadaj said calmly. "And I'll make sure you stay here."

"What about Axel and Roxas?" Riku snarled, glaring at the both of them. Roxas almost flinched, but managed to catch himself in time. "Why the hell are they allowed to fight, but Sora and I can't?!"

"Because they've been trained."

"Sora's been trained too!"

"But Sora was subjected to the same kinds of experiments you were, only more civilized and advanced." Kadaj's gaze could cut steel. "He's been through enough, and so have you."

"You won't let me get revenge for myself?!" Riku snapped, slamming his fists on the table. "Lock me up in here and treat me like a child? I am far older than you will ever be Kadaj!"

"And that's why the fuck I'm making you stay here!"

Riku froze, but was still seething. Kadaj's final words had been shouted, and he looked just as angry as Riku. "I didn't even know I could feel as bad as I did when we thought you were dead Riku! I didn't know that I cared about you so much!

"And now you want to go and throw your life on the line! I don't want to feel like that again, because I know you're a reckless prat who would rather save someone else. I know you would take a bullet for Sora, or Axel, or Roxas, and I don't want to have to think about you lying dead somewhere in the middle of a mud pit."

Riku grit his teeth. "But Yazoo—"

"I've known Yazoo my whole life Riku, and I know he wouldn't risk his life recklessly. I trust him to fight more than you right now, because you're tired and weak and emotionally drained."

"Fuck you Kadaj!"

"Fuck you too Riku!" Kadaj snarled. "But like it or not, I'm not going to let you or Sora fight if it's last thing I fucking do!"

He turned on his heel and stomped out of the kitchen, leaving a stunned silence. Riku glared after him, his hands clenched white-knuckled on the table top. Slowly, carefully he sat back down and started eating, ignoring Axel and Roxas' wary glances. Sora looked thoughtfully at his food.

The breakfast/lunch was finished in total, almost uncomfortable silence, and Riku stood once both he and Sora were done.

"C'mon Sora," He said, catching Sora's attention. "I want you to meet someone."

Sora had to trot to keep up with Riku's long, purposeful strides, but he didn't mind. Fast-walking was a great way to release anger in his opinion.

He himself wasn't too annoyed about being left out of the fight the next day. He would have liked to fight beside his friends and the king, but he cared more about Riku than a fight, and he had to admit that Kadaj did have a point. Riku could be reckless, and he wouldn't think twice about endangering himself to save someone else, and that could be dangerous in a huge battle like this.

As they continued to walk, Sora kept his eyes on the floor, watching Riku's feet to know when to turn or stop. He would be so glad when this whole thing was over. Now he could dare to think what a world not ruled by the Army could become. He'd heard stories of King Xemnas' states and his police force, and he'd hardly allowed himself to dream of a world where he wasn't constantly watched.

It would be so nice… He thought, allowing himself to wonder for a moment. The police would destroy the tight surveillance, they would get rid of the research labs and the unfair laws and replace them with things that actually helped people. The officers might be like Zell, and those in the port town where the ship had shoved off.

Sora was suddenly forced out of his wonderings when Riku's feet stopped moving. He had to pull back so that he wouldn't collide with Riku, and then looked around him, since he was too short to see over his shoulder.

Riku knocked twice on an office door, and then opened it and motioned for Sora to enter first. The brunet blinked and went in ahead of him, his eyes drawn immediately to a small corner where three people were sitting. The rest of the room was full of computers, and there was a pull-screen right beside the people at the large meeting table.

"Ah, Cloud, Leon!"

The blond and brunet looked up from the papers on the table and craned around to look at them. Sora grinned and waved, trotting over to them as Riku closed the door. "When did you get here?"

"Just last night," Cloud said, shuffling papers around. He put them into a relatively organized pile and then smiled at Sora. "Zexion's told us everything."

Sora turned and noticed the third person at the table, Zexion, Riku's uncle. The silver-haired man gave a little wave.

"Leon, Cloud!"

All the attention turned to Riku, who'd come up to the table in silence. He was smiling now, Sora was glad to note. "I'm so glad you guys are alright…"

"Us too," Cloud grinned, standing up so that he could ruffle Riku's hair. The teen squawked and pushed his hands away. "Zexion's explained everything. So you got blown off a ship eh?"

Riku managed to dislodge Cloud's hand and snort. "Of course."

Leon eyed Riku for a moment as Cloud continued to taunt him, and then leaned back, bringing attention to himself. "You're not hiding your markings."

Riku blinked and looked down at his bare arms. He'd put on a short sleeve shirt, and the circles around his throat and arms were totally visible. He lifted them and shrugged. "The people here know about me, and so does Axel and Roxas."

Leon frowned. "But you still look different."

Riku's smile slowly slipped off his face and he looked away. "Yeah. I got my memories back."

Cloud started slightly. "So do you know how you got the markings?"

Riku nodded, then he locked his jaw and forced himself to look up. "It's Mako, it its unrefined liquid form. The people at the lab… wanted to test it on me."

Sora slipped his hand into Riku's and fought back a flinch when his friend squeezed it hard. Sora squeezed back and moved closer, offering his support.

"I… I was taken from my adoptive family almost three years ago. My parents had been killed in an army raid, just like Sora's, and the orphanages were so overcrowded that they were almost paying people to adopt children. Sora, Roxas, a girl named Kairi and me were adopted into families, but me and Sora were taken by people who didn't really want us. My family signed me up for the army to get rid of me, and… they kept me in one of the labs."

He took a shaky breath and Sora rubbed his hand with his thumb. Riku had to talk about it, he knew. The more he did, the less the pain would be. "They cut fissures in my skin and poured unrefined Mako into them, and it burned—" He gulped slightly and squeezed Sora's hand harder. "No one in that place talked to anyone else. People died left and right—at lunch, at night, walking in the hallways… they treated us like rats."

"I know," Leon said suddenly. Everyone but Riku and Sora looked at him in surprise. "I was stationed there. I was patrolling the halls one day, in the place where I wasn't supposed to be, and I saw you." He looked at Riku. "Through a door window. They were… injecting it into you, and you were screaming. I could hear it through the door." The brunet looked away, clenching his fists. "That's… that's when I left the Army. I knew Cloud was still there, but I had friends who could help him get out, and they did. Both of us were runaways, and I was a coward." He closed his eyes.

Riku stared at him. "I remember you. I wondered why you were there."

Leon shrugged. Cloud turned to say something to him, but the door to the room opened suddenly, making them all turn to look. A man who looked to be in his late forties stood there, blinking for a moment, before he turned his attention to Zexion. "Zexion sir, Benikan decided to leave for home at the last minute."

That was all that Sora could hear, because there was an intense buzzing in his ears, and a pulling sensation towards the man. He didn't hear Zexion's reply, and could hardly see or feel as Riku let his hand go and suddenly grabbed the mans arm. The man looked startled, and then angry. His mouth moved to say something, but Sora couldn't hear it.

The only thing he could hear was Riku's voice, clear in the buzzing.

"This guy's working for the army Zexion!" He snapped. "Last night I felt another guy the same way. Something tells me…"

"Me too." Sora found himself saying. Riku gave him a surprised look as he rubbed his ears. "This sounds like the buzzing in the medical rooms…"

Riku nodded and looked at the man, who seemed a little nervous now. Suddenly the man started choking, and his free hand went up to his throat, scrabbling at it as if he couldn't get enough air. Riku stared at him in confusion, and Sora felt the buzzing lessen.

"Riku—stop looking at him!"

Riku blinked and looked away, and the man suddenly dropped to the floor, taking in great gulps of air. Sora and Riku exchanged nervous glances as Zexion strode over to the man, who seemed to be half-conscious.

"Whatever that was, we have to interrogate him," Zexion grunted. "I'll call Yazoo."

But there was no need for that. Yazoo suddenly came bursting into the room. He spared a quick glance at the man, frowned, but shook it off.

"We've got trouble," He said in a rush, "Army ships are just off the coast. They'll be here in less than half-an hour."

Zexion snarled. "What? They were supposed to be here tomorrow!"

"Apparently their boats are faster than we thought," Yazoo said gravely. "But there's good news too—cities have started rebelling. The Organization's plans are starting."

Zexion took a deep breath and nodded, shoving the man at Yazoo. "He's suspected of spying. Interrogate him please, and get Kadaj to help."

Yazoo smirked. "With pleasure…" He said as he grabbed the mans arm and half dragged him away. Riku and Sora exchanged glances again as Leon walked to the door and Cloud threw himself into a computer seat.

"Get ready," Zexion told them as he let Leon pass through the door first. "Fight starts in twenty minutes."

Disclaimer: No ownage.