Friends Reunited

"Oh boy this isn't good" Dipper said stepping back. The giant Heartless feet stomping on the ground, causing it to rumble. He tripped back as another trember happened by the large creature.

Mabel was right there with him, "You think"

Riku grabbed hold of his sword and jumped managing to dodge the first strike by Guard Amor as the Weasels let loose there bullets and fired. He grabbed hold of the two kids to get them out of the way. These weasels looked like they meant business. With a quickly lung he dodged another attack from the Heartless fist as it came crashing down upon them .All of them holding out there tommy guns, sneering at glaring at them. Sharp teeth patrodin from their mouths as some let out wads of drool.

"Thanks," Dipper said landing on his feet. Sweat was trickling down his forehead.

"Don't mention it" Riku muttered back still on his knees looking back at the Heartless. He got back up and kept a tight grip on his sword. It was his first time using it that wasn't training.

Guard Armor continued to his attack. He started stomping around the plaza area. Again his massive feet caused tremors on the ground making it difficult to stand completely still. Everyone including the Weasels had a hard time managing to keep a steady foot. Only Riku seemed to be able to keep steady running at a brisk pace so that he wasn't staying in one place for too long. Mable seemed to understand and pressed her tiny body forward to keep up with him.

"Okay, what's the game plan" She asked as they both found shelter under a bench, bullets still flying, "We have one right? Right!"

Riku looked at the giant monster Heartless and sighed, "Well, take down that thing and stop it from going to the Keyhole"

"Why?" Dipper asked.

"Because a giant power source like that is something I think a Heartless shouldn't get near ever don't you agree"

Dipper nodded.

"Hey over here!"

Riku looked around and to his shock saw Mabel and Pinocchio trying to distract the giant Heartless. It turned around to face both of them as they waved their arms. The massive hulking beast stepped forward causing the ground to shake with each step it took. She charged forward, her expression intense, her little feet running as fast as they could.

"Is she insane" Riku sneered looking at Mable who pressed the charged getting closer to the Heartless.

Dipper sighed, "Partially yes...But so am I...MABEL!" He got up to join his sister and try to get the attention the creature too. Riku again looked shocked at these two, they were definitely idiots.

Now it was just him, and a thought occurred, perhaps he could leave. He didn't care about these kids, as far he was concerned they were just getting in his way. All that mattered was finding Sora and nothing else. Plus if anyone asks, there wouldn't be any witnesses, the Weasels or Heartless would probably get rid of them. Yet then the guilt of just leaving them alone without any sort of help at all. What if he was found out? What if Sora found out? Part of him didn't really want to leave the kids, it felt needlessly cruel. He might not like them but he didn't want that.

"You could always try to control the Heartless" Maleficent voice rang in his ear now.

"Maleficent," Riku looked around but he couldn't see the evil witch, "Call this off"

Her voice chuckled in his head, "Apologies but the Heartless require this, although, you might be able to control the creatures, after all the powers of the darkness are great and beyond anything"

Riku looked at the massive Heartless, it corned the Pines, Pinocchio and even the Weasels had them down. He bit his lip as he weighed his options. Worry that too much exposure could cause to many questions.

"You can control if you will it"

Riku sneered, controlling the Heartless would definitely help him and Sora if they traveled. Perhaps, perhaps it would be something that could be worth it.

Closing his eyes he extended his hand and concentrated, trying to will the Heartless to obey him. He felt a stench overcome him. Though it still felt intoxication, this, this was truly power.

Riku outstretched his hand towards the Heartless.

"Attack the Weasels" He thought, hoping it would obey.

Guard Armor was now a few feet away from Dipper and Mabel now.

"Attack the Weasels" Riku thought to himself

He tried as hard as he could, the stench continued to spread until finally he heard a loud BOOM. Opening his eyes Riku saw that Guard Armor had smashed his fist into the ground but instead of crushing Dipper and Mabel he had sent the Weasels flying. A moment of joy overcame him, it worked. Though suddenly his timid control had been lost as the Heartless once again turned around.

"Uh oh" One of the Weasels said noticing the giant Heartless now looming over him now.

"What the heck," Smarty sneered getting back up, his tommy gun in hand but he was shaking violently out of fear "Don't attack up you dumb dumb, get the kids"

Guard Armor turned back to Dipper and Mabel again raised his fist.

Riku struggled to go help or run.

Guard Armor readied to attack.

"Fire!" A ball of fire emerged.

Riku blinked and saw to his shock Sora emerged, holding the Keyblade, and fighting the Heartless.

"Sora…." Riku blinked seeing his friend in action, he was quite fierce, "Sora!"

"Riku?" Sora turned but was knocked down by Guard Armor.

"Sora!"

Riku ran to his friend, he found him, and he was fighting kid now. Quickly he picked Sora up and got him to safety.

"Riku, is it really you?" Sora asked looking at his friend with a smile, pinching his cheeks.

Riku gently removed his hands, "Hey, hey...I'm here, I'm here"

Guard Armor began to stomp towards them now. The Weasels scurrying around the plaza now. Chaos consumed them. They were unable to reorganize, most were just trying to not get stomped on as the Heartless metal feat came close to crushing them. Smarty almost getting spine stepped on by merely just a few inches.

"Guess I need an extra bump in order to use magic huh" Sora snickered .

Riku raised an eyebrow at him "Huh?"

"Magic, I'm only good at it when in combat" Sora chuckled.

"Huh?" He still didn't understand. Whatever it didn't matter if he was with Sora, his Sora, this was probably the happiest he felt in a long time.

Sora leaped up and shouted, "Fire!" Again a big ball of energy coming from his Keyblade knocking the Guard Armor down.

The Weasel began to scurvy realizing that perhaps they were outgunned.

"Woo go Sora!" Mabel shouted, "I knew to trust you"

"Thanks"

"Thunder!" Riku saw a duck shout.

Lighting fell from the sky landing the Weasels causing him them all to scatter.

Riku just watched with awe at his friend. However also a tinge of jealousy. He had never seen Sora so comptent before. Most of the time back on the Island Sora would stumble or somehow need his or Kairi's help. Right now though Sora seemed far more confident then he had ever know. With these new friends to boat as well. This caused a bit of jealousy to enter Riku's mind. Why was he so good with people he hardly ever knew compared to him.

That wasn't right, Sora was supposed to fight and travel with him and Kairi.

He tightened his fist as the jealousy continued to swivel in his mind.

Something definitely was right and he didn't like what he saw one bit.

He was supposed to save Sora not the other way round.

"Hey look!" Riku blinked coming out of his thoughts as Mabel pointed to the Heartless, it was finally coming down, "He did it!"

Indeed he did, Guard Armor was finally defeated. Sora stood there cheering in his apparent victory as the Heartless vanished. A giant heart floating in the sky. The Heartless was gone, the battle was over. They won.

"You did it!" Mabel cheered, high fiving Sora "Yay Sora"

"Yay!" Pinocchio cheered hugging Mable tight.

Riku saw a tiny cricket run up to the puppet "Pinocchio, you okay"

"Yeah, Jiminy I'm good" Both smiled at one another. Quite heartwarming too, Riku could see the familiar bond between them.

"That was amazing" Dipper said, out of breath yet shocked "How did you do that"

Sora shrugged, "Guess I'm good at magic when I'm fighting, otherwise I'm useless"

"Ah it doesn't matter Sora, look you rescued everyone, that's a win in my book" Riku saw the large dog creature say patting his back.

"Thanks Goofy, what do you think Donald"

Donald shrugged, "I guess so".

Sora looked to Riku and perked up instantly, "Oh! Right! Riku!" He ran up to his friends and started pinching his cheeks to make sure he was real.

"Hey, hey, hey...I'm real, I'm real, okay...Yeesh"

Sora stepped back and laughed, "Riku, it's really you".

"Yeah, it's me"

"He was looking for you, "Mabel explained, "So we in our generosity, decided to help, it's the Pine's way after all"

"I thought the Pine's way was to scam as many people as possible" Dipper muttered.

"That too".

Sora just laughed, that laugh that always made Riku's heart skip a beat. He couldn't help but return a smile, "I-I'm glad I finally found you"

"Me too" Sora said squishing Riku in one of his big hugs, "And now we get to travel together"

"Yeah, we're finally free"

"Yeah, you can come back with us on our ship, me and my new friends have gone to all sorts of cool worlds. You can come with us and we can look for Kairi and there King together. Heh...K and K….heh, heh...Funny"

Donald sighed, "Another one"

"Yes," Sora said sternly, "I'm not just going to leave him here"

"Fine" Donald muttered as he huffed off, "I'll go get another room ready"

Riku sneered at the duck, that feeling again, why was Sora asking permission from him. The two of them should just be exploring the worlds together, now with strangers.

He held his anger for now, focus on being with Sora at the moment.

"Hey guys," Dipper pointed to the Weasels, down but now out, many of them were moaning to one another. Some were starting to get up but were still quite hurt from the attack. Although the ones who saw the group glared at them giving them the dead eye. "We should get going"

"Yeah," Riku said glaring at Donald and Goofy, still suspicious, "We should go"

"Wait, hold on," Sora Keyblade began to shake as it pointed right at the Keyhole and stuck it, causing it to glow before a soft CLICK sound came and it vanished, "Third time that's happened".

"So you found a Keyhole,"

More people arrived much to Riku's dismay, why couldn't have a few moments alone with his friend which he just reunited with.

"Leon, Yuffie, Aerith" Sora beamed.

Leon nodded, "That Sora, was a Keyhole, the heart of the world, the Heartless are drawn to them".

"If that Heartless got to it before you locked it, Traverse Town would have been destroyed" Aerith explained.

Sora turned pale "Really?"

"Congrats kid, more hero points for you," Yuffie snickered patting him on the back.

"Woo hoo" Sora said, though Riku could tell it was very force hurray.

"Will round up these creeps" Yuffie said glaring at the weasel. "Go and take rest Sora, you earned it"

Riku just rolled his eyes, he didn't like these people, nope, not one bit.

-000-

"Woah dudes you look wrecked," Wendy said as Dipper and Mabel walked in to the Mystery Shack. Everyone was just glad to be away from a battle and able to sit down and rest.

Dipper sighed, "Yes, long story, we're good though"

"And, Riku found Sora!" Mabel cheered, "Progress!"

Riku was just glad to be able to sit down with Sora after going through that chaos. The two found a nice place in the Pine's living room and just sat there looking at one another. For the first time in a long while this felt right, being here with his friend, not with Maleficent or the servants back at her castle, but with the person that mattered.

The only person that mattered.

They started to rest off. Sora looked exhausted. He had never seen him battle like that before ever. Even back of the Island his battle stance was always a little off. Riku noticed that something had definitely changed. Though that didn't matter now, they were together and that's all that mattered

When they were alone Riku scooched towards him and wrapped him in a hug.

"I missed you" Riku said in a soft voice walking up to Sora but keeping his distance at the same time. He was almost nervous to know what he was going to do. This new Sora seemed a bit unparticle.

As soon as he thought that though Sora hugged him as tight as he could, "I missed you too". Instantly any hesitation vanished.

"So, a bunch of worlds huh" Riku smirked as he broke the hug.

Sora nodded, "Yeah...Though, not all of them as cool as I would make them out to be".

"What?"

"Well….uh….."

Suddenly Sora goes on about his adventures in Wonderland and Deep Jungle, he talks about a girl named Alice, which Riku recognizes instantly as someone Maleficent had captured, and then about the death of some hunter named Clayton. When it came to the first world he wanted to say something, but he held back. If Sora found out he might had aided Maleficent then he might not be able to understand. As for the death of the hunter, that he felt was deserved. Clayton had tried to attack his friend, as far as he was concerned he deserved death.

"It's okay Sora," he merely said patting his back, "You found me, I'll make sure your okay, like I always did back home, will set everything straight, I promise"

Donald and Goofy entered without him knowing.

"Awe, best friends" Goofy cooed.

Donald groaned, "Yeah, yeah...Riku, we need to talk to Sora alone if you will"

Riku turned around and glared at them before getting up, "I'll be outside if you need me Sora,"

He did as instructed but that didn't mean he stood by the end of the wall and listened in. Dipper and Mabel were in there rooms while everyone else was by the store, so he didn't have much trouble in worrying about those who would find him.

Slowly he heard speaking as he pieced together what they were saying.

"So Sora, are you sure you want out after you find the King" Goofy asked.

"Yeah, I know I found Riku, so i feel better, but I can't do anything without it being in the middle of combat. That should be good, but I know that I can't rely on that forever. I'm sorry guys but once we find your King, I just wanna be with Riku and hopefully Kairi"

Riku smirked, good Sora first loyalties were to his friend not these fools.

"Are you sure Sora," Goofy said.

"Yeah, but I will help where I can, so long as I am the Keyblade Master, I guess it's my responsibility to help"

"Not it's not" Riku thought, feeling the anger bible in him. Fist started to clench as he glared at Sora's new friends from a distance "Your job is to find Kairi with me so we can go together, forget them"

"Jealous are we"

Riku turned forward and saw Maleficent standing right before him, her and her pet crow Diablo smirking back at him. The two had such a superiority to them that he hated. One day perhaps he would able to wipe the smirk off both there faces.

"What are you doing here?" Riku hissed.

"Enjoying the fruits of my work, friends reunited at last, this should be a case for a massive celebration".

"Can it' Riku sneered, "I know about Alice, Sora was in Wonderland"

"Do you regret what you did"

"I don't really care either way"

"Then you should not bite the hand that feeds child," Maleficent said, her voice becoming a bit stern before calming, "You found your friend and you clearly were willing to let the Pine children die at the hands of the Heartless in order to stop your survival".

"Yeah, but you could have let me been with Sora"

"And yet I would not have seen if you were willing to do what was necessary"

Riku sneered at her.

She merely chuckled.

"Come now my boy, you saw that little touch of darkness, you must have felt it, it's power, it's intoxicating touch"

Riku shivered, it was all those things and more.

"Don't tell me you would wish to experience that again?"

"I-"

"This power will protect your friend," She added rubbing the orb of her staff, "The power to allow yourself to keep the Heartless away from you and your friends, ultimate security in insecure times".

There was a pause before Maleficent smiled.

"Think about it," With that she vanished in a blast of green flame..

Riku took a moment outside to think. The power of the darkness could protect his friends, allow him and Sora ultimate freedom as they traveled the world.

"Hey you okay?" Sora walked out from the shack now.

Riku flinched and smirked, "Yeah, I'm fine"

Sora chuckled, "Still a loner huh"

"We've only been apart like what a few weeks"

"A lot can change in that time, I mean I got a Keyblade and a big ship"

Riku chuckled nervously, "Yeah….."

"Yeah….." Sora smiled, "I'm glad I found you"

Riku nodded, "Yeah, and I'm gonna protect you Sora...I promise",

"You don't have to Riku...Because now I can protect you too"

Riku smiled outwardly, but inside, he didn't like it.

"But I'm supposed to protect you Sora...That's my job".