Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 22

Kairi lay on the bed in Sora's quarters…their quarters now. Riku was changing and Sora was already gone to Regenerate for the 'night'. The ship was so different to anything she'd ever known and it made her nervous, but it was easy to see that Sora belonged, was part of the crew now. People had nodded or smiled when they walked passed him in the hallways, others looking him over, checking he was okay. It just made it more obvious that he was never coming home, not forever anyway.

The door slid open and Riku walked in to sit on the edge of the bed, dragging a comb through his hair. She laughed and sat up, reaching to take the comb from him. "What?" he asked but obediently shifted to give her access.

"You either need to cut this or let it grow out enough to tie back properly," she answered. "How did you get it this tangled in a shower without water?" She grumbled, being careful not to yank, even as he shrugged. "Riku?" she murmured after a while and he turned to face her, taking the comb.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently, taking her hand.

"You're sure Sora is okay?"

"He's been using the alcove since he was Assimilated, Kairi. It…looks weird and it's not actual sleep but it's what his body needs. It's the same state he was in at the castle, just standing up and not laying in a bed. They need to go over the machine he was using to make sure everything's good, it's still a prototype. And the Doctor checked us all over, all three of us are healthy."

She nodded; she just didn't like the idea of him being so far away now that they were together. Riku stretched out on the bed, one arm out to her, and she moved to lay beside him, curling into his body. They kissed softly for a while before slowly drifting to sleep.

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Seven stepped down from her alcove and looked to the side, watching as Sora's eyes fluttered before opening and he stepped down as well. He had already been Regenerating when she had returned to the cargo bay so they had not had the chance to speak since his return. He looked different somehow…more colour to his skin, sun exposure. It seemed the time away had been spent planetside, not something he had much time with since they had rescued him. "You are well?" She asked, surprised when he smiled at her.

"It was good to see them, it helped," he told her. "I feel lighter. How many times was the ship almost destroyed while I was gone?" he asked, head tipped slightly to the side, and she realised he was trying to tease and joke with her. He had been doing that a bit but it seemed more natural now. it appeared that the time away had been healing for him. It was difficult to remember that he was young, that he had spent the last years of childhood as part of the Collective when most of the time he acted like an adult. It didn't cross her mind that she had spent her whole childhood as a Drone when she was so much older than him.

"Only twice. Your presence was missed. It was…strange to not have you here to work with."

"I missed you too," Sora told her as they walked out of the cargo bay, parting so that she could get ready for her shift.

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Sora entered his quarters…their quarters now. it was quiet, the lights off, so he made his way to the bedroom, seeing the two of them tangled together under the sheet. He hesitated but then took off his boots and stripped out of his bodysuit to grab proper sleepwear before crawling in beside Kairi. He cautiously shifted closer to her, resting an arm over her waist. He froze as she shifted but she wasn't moving away, she was pressing closer to him.

He let himself relax, getting comfortable, his fingers brushing Riku's lax arm, closing his eyes to rest. It was…nice. He was getting more used to Kairi, becoming more and more comfortable with physical contact with her. Sora pressed his lips to the back of her neck, the skin bare since she'd braided her hair to sleep, and she mumbled incoherently in her sleep.

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Riku woke slowly, feeling completely content, bale to sense the closeness of Kairi and Sora. It took a few seconds for that to register and he opened his eyes, finding Kairi facing him, still deeply asleep, but over her waist was another arm, fingers brushing his arm. He moved enough to tangle his fingers with Sora's, feeling Sora squeeze his hand. Sora lifted his head from where he was lying against Kairi's back, actually pressed against her. She'd lain at Sora's back that morning but after that it had been mostly Riku in the middle since he was who Sora was the most comfortable with. This was a good step forward then.

"Hey," he whispered, not wanting to wake Kairi. "Okay?" he asked, and Sora nodded before putting his head back down. Riku was content to just hold his hand, carefully shifting to close the tiny distance between himself and Kairi, moving his other arm to hold her.

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Kairi woke up to the sensation of being held, bodies pressed up against her, one cooler than the other. She opened her eyes to find Riku in front of him which meant it was Sora pressed against her back. He must have come in after he finished Regenerating and without waking her. He was relaxed but she knew he wasn't asleep, he didn't sleep anymore, not without help. She wasn't as sure about whether Riku was asleep or not, but he looked so peaceful, it was good to see after the years of stressful searching for Sora.

She watched his eyes slowly open and focus on her, Riku smiling at her before leaning in for a kiss. "Morning," he greeted her, and she smiled back at him.

"Good morning," then she turned her head, finding Sora watching them. "Morning," she told him, happy when he smiled at her. She rolled over to face him properly, seeing something hesitant in his eyes. "Can I kiss you?" she asked, having picked up on asking him before doing certain things. He'd had all control of his body taken from him so asking before doing something made sense.

"Good morning," he told her and then leant in.

She smiled and met him halfway, kissing him gently, lifting a hand to run her fingers through his hair. When he tentatively moved to deepen the kiss she eagerly went with it, feeling his hand resting on her hip, Riku pressing closer to her back, kissing her shoulder where her top had slipped down. Sora pulled back, breathing heavily, the skin around his eyes pinched with pain and she moved her hands to gently stroke his temples, not caring when she brushed metal.

"It's okay Sora," she whispered before kissing his forehead softly.

Riku had stopped kissing her, reaching across her body to take Sora's hand, squeezing gently in support. "Don't push too much," he told him, and Sora nodded. "You back on shift today?"

"No, but we have a meeting with the Command crew at thirteen hundred to give the supplies and go over the files from Cid with them," Sora told them.

"Thirteen hundred?" she asked in confusion.

"Ship uses a twenty-four-hour clock," Sora explained. "One in the afternoon is thirteen hundred."

"Okay," that would take some getting used to.

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B'Elanna went over everything the engineers that Sora knew had sent them. The amount of supplies they had brought back with them had shocked everyone but would help a lot. She wasn't sure what some of the equations and measurements meant though so she'd have to ask Sora…or one of his friends? If they really did plan to stay for Sora then they would need to integrate with the crew too.

Then again, if they could get them back to Earth, if the Federation surgeons could do more for Sora….would he leave and go home? If they returned to the Federation she knew they would likely be split up to different ships so it wasn't like he would be the only one to leave. Voyager had become home and what other Federation starship ran the same way? Could she remain with Starfleet and serve on a different ship under a normal Captain? She wasn't sure she could, she had left for a reason after all.

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Kathryn watched as Neelix got all of his new supplies sorted out, storing things in a room they had now set aside thanks to the sheer quantity of what the three had brought with them. They could open a new hydroponics room with the amount of plants they had brought as well.

It was good to have Sora back and to see how he had healed while away. He was totally comfortable with Riku, that had been clear almost from the first, thought it seemed to have deepened. He wasn't as comfortable with Kairi but she could see he was getting there and it was good to see. She wished that there was someone who could be like that with Seven, but she was still not growing close to anyone outside of Sora.

All three of them were working with B'Elanna and the other engineers to translate the information they'd brought back. She wasn't sure what to think about the possibility of taking Voyager to their home but it would be nice to be in friendly space, to have time to do all the work that got put off because something more important always came up. The crew could use shore leave too. If it couldn't work then they may end up playing host to more of Sora's people for trade and in the hope they could get them home quicker from here. On top of the recent contact with Starfleet it was hard not to get her hopes up too much.

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Riku sat back, his head aching a bit. The technology and science was so different…he wondered how Cid, Chip and Dale had dealt with it to even get these notes done. He felt a weak Cure spell curl around him and flashed Kairi a grateful smile even as he saw one hit Sora as well, just to be safe. So far, it looked like Voyager couldn't handle the trip without some upgrades. Were the ones that could be made? They didn't know yet.

It was nice having more freedom this time, the same level as Sora had, which had been a bit of a shock. Kairi did too, and he supposed that they had decided they were trustworthy. Not that they'd made use of it yet, too busy helping sort out the supplies they'd brought and now helping Lieutenant Torres and her people.

He missed sleeping with Sora, holding him during the night, and he knew Kairi wished he could sleep with them too, even if technically Sora didn't sleep. It was best for his health though that he use his alcove and he was making sure to join them use his cycle was done. It was nice, gave them time to cuddle and more when Sora felt up to it. they'd had another embarrassing conversation where Sora had told them that he wanted them to be together if they felt ready, to not hold back because of him, which had then led to Sora admitting that it would be dangerous for him and Kairi which had then led to an explanation about sex which had left all three of them feeling very awkward. But they were over that now and he'd talked with Kairi, they didn't feel like taking their relationship further yet, they liked kissing and cuddling.

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Tuvok nodded as Sora took his normal seat opposite him, lighting the candles between them. He had not seen much of the younger male since his return but Sora had asked him about returning to their meditations and he had agreed. Mental stability was an ongoing work and while Sora had made tremendous leaps, he could backslide very easily into guilt and depression. Although with his partners at his side, he did have more help should that happen.

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Tom waved at the trio as they entered the smoky room, and Sora nodded, leading them over to where he and Harry had snagged a table. Riku grinned at them, an arm around Kairi's waist while she held Sora's hand. The three of them were cute together and he was happy for Sora. The kid needed some real happiness in his life after the horrors he'd been through.

They joined them, Sora going to the bar to get their drinks, moving confidently through the crowd rather than shifting to the edges of the room to avoid everyone like he used to. It was so good to see him becoming more confident and also comfortable with his body, not so shameful should someone bump into him or even just brush by.

"So how are you adjusting to life on a starship?" Harry asked Kairi.

"It's very different," she admitted, "but the company makes it worth it. I prefer Gummi ships though; they may be small but the longest I've had to be on one was six days. The lanes are definitely faster."

"Yeah, but have you ever gone more than two hours without having to shoot down Heartless?" Riku asked her, and she grimaced.

"Good point."

Sora returned with their drinks and they settled in to chat and learn more about the two.

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"Riku?"

He stirred, feeling a hand on his shoulder, forcing his eyes open to see Sora hovering over him. "Sora?" he sat up, rubbing his eyes, finding Kairi fast asleep beside him. "Is something wrong?" he glanced at where a clock had been placed to find it was barely one in the ships morning.

Sora should be Regenerating in the cargo bay so why was he in their quarters? He shifted on the bed and Sora got in beside him, that was when he noticed Sora had changed into the clothes he would wear for bed with them rather than the tight bodysuit.

He wrapped an arm around Sora who curled into him, resting his head against his chest, listening to his heart. "It's okay, I'm here," he whispered. Sora didn't dream when Regenerating so what had happened. He ran his fingers through Sora's hair, willing to sit and wait as long as it took.

"Can we dream?" Sora finally asked.

"Sure," Riku agreed immediately, laying down and settling Sor against him. "Ready?" he asked, and Sora nodded so he cast the spell, feeling Sora go limp as he fell into a deep sleep. He quickly followed him, Diving into his dreams.

He wasn't surprised when he opened his eyes to find himself on the Play Island, looking around to see Sora standing ankle deep in the sea. He smiled at the sight and walked over, taking in the bare skin revealed by the shorts and t-shirt Sora was now wearing. It made it obvious why they could never return in real life, the metal of his implants reflecting the sunlight. Riku made it to Sora and wrapped his arms around him, Sora smiling at him, hugging him back.

"Hey," he murmured, leaning in for a kiss, happy when Sora eagerly met him.

In his dreams, it was almost like having the old Sora back. He loved the new Sora just as much, but it was nice when Sora didn't have to worry about his own emotions hurting him. They just stood there for a while, locked together, before eventually Riku pulled back, looking down at Sora.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, B'Elanna called Seven and it woke me up. I didn't want to go back to Regenerating."

"Sora…" he needed to Regenerate, his health and wellbeing relied on it.

"I can skip a few hours," Sora argued, and Riku let it go, for now.

"So what, felt like making out in the sun for a while?" he teased, and to his surprise, Sora blushed. "Sora?"

"Stupid hormones," he grumbled, and Riku chuckled.

"Well you are still a teenager," he pointed out.

"I asked the Doctor, he said it was because of how old I was when Assimilated, it basically hit pause on puberty. Now my body can produce those hormones again, puberty is starting up again," he explained, ducking his head.

"And even before that you slept through a year of it, the rest was spent fighting. Your body's' never really had the chance to sort itself out properly. I know I had a few problems after things settled from Xehanort," he admitted, that had been an embarrassing time for a few of them.

"Really?" Sora asked softly.

"Really, ask Ven and Roxas if you want other male confirmation," he promised. "But why dream? Both of us are very willing to try anything you want…oh," he winced. "Because it doesn't hurt here."

"Sorry."

"You've got nothing to be sorry for," Riku denied. "We both hate seeing you in pain Sora. There has to be a way to bring Kairi in, when you're ready." Riku pulled him closer, their bodies flush together. "Whatever you want," he promised, and Sora pulled him into another kiss.

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Sora blinked, disorientated by the sudden wake up, seeing Riku also looked disorientated, even as Kairi scrambled upright. Something was wrong. He looked to the window, seeing a nebula outside. "Sora to Seven," he called over the comm.

"Sora, are you experiencing any ill effects?"

"Negative," he glanced at them as he heard Kairi hiss in pain. "Kairi is," he clarified even as Riku used a healing spell on her. He looked around and then grabbed her armour, getting her to activate it even as Riku got his own, just to be safe.

"I'm okay now," Kairi told him.

"The armour seems to block the," he activated all his visual sensors, "radiation."

"The Doctor is inundated with calls for aid, the three of you report to Sickbay to collect dermal regenerators to help."

"Understood." He got up and yanked on his clothes before they left their quarters for Sickbay, finding Seven had already left for the bridge when they arrived. The radiation had also vanished so they removed their armour while being shown how to use the devices and then sent out to help the injured crew.

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"The nebula extends for at least one hundred ten light years. Possibly more," Seven explained as she studied the date in astrometrics.

"At the least, it would take us well over a month to get through it, and more than a year to get around it," the Captain murmured, and she nodded.

"The crew was unable to tolerate the nebula for even a few minutes. They certainly could not survive a month."

"We've come fifteen thousand light years. We haven't been stopped by temporal anomalies, warp core breaches, or hostile aliens. And I am damned if I'm going to be stopped by a nebula. I'll be in Sickbay."

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Sora and the Doctor looked up as the Captain entered, several of the more severely injured crew still lying in beds as Riku and Kairi moved about, healing them as they had the magic available.

"We've analysed a sample of the gases from the nebula. I think the damage came from subnucleonic radiation. Even the briefest exposure is devastating to organic tissue," the Doctor explained as soon as she approached them.

"Can you give us any protection against the effects?" she asked in concern.

"Yes. Stasis chambers with independent life support for each unit," Sora answered, bringing up the schematics.

"Are you suggesting that the entire crew be put in suspended animation?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes. I, of course, would stay online in order to monitor everyone."

"This is a drastic step, Doctor. Are there any other options? Adjusting the shields? Inoculations?" she tried.

"We've considered all possibilities and run the simulations. This is the only way," Sora explained.

"There's more to getting through the nebula than monitoring the crew. Who would regulate ship's systems? Make course adjustments?"

"I think I've demonstrated that I have a command of the rudimentary aspects of piloting."

Sora glanced at him and then the Captain, before looking to Riku and Kairi. Riku looked up and nodded. They weren't sure why he hadn't been affected, because he was a Dream Eater? The Darkness in him? Or maybe his reaction had just been delayed so unnoticed once he'd summoned his armour. Still, it meant more people able to monitor the ship.

"Of course you have, and I know you could do it. But you'll need back-up, we have no idea what effect the nebular radiation might have on your holomatrix. What if you went offline?" the Captain pointed out.

"The three of us plus Seven can also remain awake," Sora offered. "Seven and I were unaffected and their armour protected Riku and Kairi."

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"Are you sure about this? You could leave or go into stasis with the others," Sora pointed out, again.

Kairi shook her head. "We're not leaving," she stated firmly. "The radiation might not affect Riku at all and it apparently took longer on me than the others which means we can take off the armour occasionally so we won't be stuck in it the whole time. Besides, if anything happens you might need the extra help."

Sora looked to Riku but she knew he would agree with her, and he did. It was very sweet of Sora to be so worried for them and she didn't want to feel that burning pain again, but she also didn't like the idea of the crew consisting of only three people, one of whom was a hologram. Tom was going to give Riku a crash course in piloting the ship to ensure there were three people able to take the helm if necessary while the Doctor was showing her how to help stabilise the stasis pods if anything went wrong. Sora and Seven didn't need any of that thankfully since it would take longer to teach all of them.

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"I want you to understand the seriousness of this responsibility. The lives of the entire crew will be on your shoulders," Kathryn told the four before her.

"You doubt our ability to fulfil this task?" Seven demanded.

"Ordinarily not at all, but this is an unusual situation," she pointed out before focusing on Seven. "After being in the Collective, it hasn't been easy for you to adjust to a ship with only a hundred and fifty people on it, has it, Seven? How would you feel with only the Doctor and three others for company?"

"I will adapt," Seven answered confidently.

"Most humans don't react particularly well to long periods of isolation," she informed them all, but they seemed confident. "Borg Drones have even more difficulty," this time she included Sora as well, though he had adapted more easily than Seven and he would have Riku and Kairi.

"We will be alright Captain," Sora told her. "We aren't Borg anymore."

"All right. I'll work with the senior staff to draw up a list of duties. But let me make it clear, the Doctor will be in command. You will all follow his instructions just as you would follow mine."

"Follow the orders of a hologram?" Seven demanded as she'd expected, even as the others nodded.

"He's our Chief Medical Officer, and he is thoroughly grounded in Starfleet protocols. You will report to him."

"I understand," Seven gave in stiffly.

"Captain, if something goes wrong, do you want us to evacuate the crew?" Sora asked.

She hesitated, the idea of abandoning their ship, their home, not sitting well but… "Do what you have to, to keep the crew alive, even if we do have to adapt to a very different world."

She didn't like the idea of leaving the four of them alone on the ship, but it was too risky to have only the Doctor in control of the ship. If they took damage, he wouldn't be able to do anything, especially if power went down or the emitters were damaged. The three of them were so young and Seven…she still had issues with the chain of command. The only other option was to go around the nebula and that would simply take far too long when they couldn't get an accurate read on just how big it was. She would just have to trust that they could do it.

TBC…