Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 11

Riku stared into Sora's eyes, seeing them focused and aware for the first time in too long. He slowly reached out with a hand to caress his cheek and Sora leant into his touch even as he reached for him, making soft noises but not actual speech. Riku drew him into his arms and Sora curled into him, nuzzling at him. Sora instinctively recognised him, that was good. He held Sora close, nuzzling in return, just offering comfort though Sora didn't seem at all confused. He supposed that made sense if he was just running off of instinct.

He was glad the others were out, not sure how Sora would react to them. He hoped the time spent with Roxas and Axel would mean that he would accept their presence at least, the pups too. Little Vani and Yuna were growing swiftly, becoming their own little personalities and it made him all the more eager to meet their pups.

Riku gently stroked his hand up and down Sora's back, being careful of his new fins, and smiled when Sora melted against him, clicking and whistling softly in happiness. It was amazing to see life back in Sora's eyes again, even if there was no true recognition yet. He'd honestly been losing hope of ever having Sora truly aware again outside of his dreams.

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He smirked, watching the terrified figure sink to the bottom, curling up on themselves. An excellent specimen, perhaps even younger than the last, and a female to boot! He could think of so many new tests, after all, what worked on a male may not on a female. This time, he would not let anyone know of the research. He had no proof his nephew had taken the last specimen but who else could have? If he hadn't known then obviously he had spoken out of turn near some bleeding heart. His staff knew better after all, and all of his researchers enjoyed their work too much to risk being overheard.

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Aqua watched from a distance as Riku gently led Sora from the tunnel, so far he was adjusting well but they'd only truly know once he came back to himself. Another. Day or two and he should become fully aware of himself. She just hoped he took his transformation well, that those dreams hadn't just been Riku's imagination. She smiled when the two began swimming around, playing together, leaning into Terra's embrace as he wrapped an arm around her.

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Riku jolted awake as he felt a body thrashing against his own, instinctively tightening his grip as he came awake, taking seconds to realise it was Sora struggling against him. "Easy Sora, it's okay," he murmured. "It's okay, you're okay, just calm down."

Sora froze in his hold, breathing heavily, trembling slightly. "R…Riku?"

His heart leapt with joy at hearing Sora speak for the first time, he was truly awake! "It's me, I've got you," he promised, nuzzling at him, feeling Sora go limp in his arms. He gently tugged Sora around so they were face to face, seeing the confusion in Sora's eyes. He lifted a hand to gently stroke his cheek and Sora leant into his touch.

"Riku? I…I feel so strange," Sora mumbled, sounding groggy and bewildered.

"You're alright," he soothed. "I've missed you so much," he couldn't help telling him, and Sora frowned in confusion.

"Missed?" he shook his head, some of the dazed look fading thankfully. "Riku, what's…" and then Sora's eyes widened as he focused on their surroundings, a flash of fear in his eyes.

"Easy," he leant in closer, pressing their foreheads together. "Just relax, don't try and force it, you've been through a lot."

Sora frowned, moving, and then his eyes went wide. He pulled back enough to look down, his hand going to his rounded stomach, touching very gently. "Am I…"

Riku smiled and pressed his hand to Sora's. "Our pups," Riku told him gently.

"How…how long…" Sora shook his head. He raised his hand to see it, staring at his own claws. "Riku?"

Riku laced their fingers together, gently squeezing. "What's the last thing you remember?" he asked softly.

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Everything felt strange and confusing but Riku was there so it had to be alright, didn't it? the last thing he remembered? He frowned, trying to work out what was going on. His free hand stayed on his stomach…pups. He…he was carrying Riku's children… what was wrong with him? Why was it so hard? He closed his eyes and tried to focus. Pups meant…Riku'd had his season…the bond! His eyes snapped open and he stared at Riku. He…he was alone in his head, the feeling of Riku's mind was gone and that terrified him, making him cling to Riku who held him.

"It's okay, I'm here," Riku promised.

He was there, he could…he could feel him! Just not the way he'd been before. "Don't leave," he begged, and Riku's grip tightened, lips pressing to the top of his head.

"Never Sora, I'm not going anywhere. Just try and relax, I know you're confused."

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Roxas lay still, curled with Axel and their pups, Xion on Axel's other side. What had woken him? He frowned and then his eyes widened as he realised Riku wasn't just talking to Sora…Sora was answering! He wanted to go over and say hi, to finally speak to him without an interpreter, but he forced himself to stay where he was. He could hear Sora's confusion, his fear, and knew he wouldn't react well to being crowded. He hoped Sora would be okay with being one of them now, it wasn't like it could be undone.

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Riku shifted them around so that he was 'sitting up' on the bed that had been made for Sora's transformation and was being left for the birth, cradling Sora against him, smiling when his head rested over his heart. He was relieved to find Sora slowly relaxing, worried the stress would hurt him or the pups. He pressed another kiss to the top of his head and Sora tipped his head back to look at him, still seeming confused but a lot calmer.

"I'm…pregnant," Sora whispered, using the human term, and Riku nodded. "I…I was at the house…you came!"

It was a relief to hear Sora working it out, obviously beginning to remember, but would he remember the dreams?

"I can't…" Sora shook his head in frustration. "It gets all weird after that," he frowned. "The bond?" he asked, and Riku nodded.

"Whenever I could think clearly, you…you were completely out of it, just like any human ensnared by our song. I tried to wake you up every time but…" he buried his face in Sora's hair. "I thought I'd lost you forever," he admitted, feeling Sora wrap his arms around him.

"But I'm here…right?" Sora asked hesitantly, and Riku nodded. "How…" Sora pulled back and looked around, eyes going very wide before he looked down at his own body again, breathing speeding up. "Rrriku?" he stammered in alarm and Riku drew him close again, nuzzling at him in an effort to comfort him.

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Xion lay at Axel's back, pretending to be asleep though she knew Roxas was awake too. She felt kind of bad listening in, but it wasn't like Riku had asked them to leave when Sora woke up. He was obviously very confused if it took him that long to realise something was very different. Then again, he'd had no mind for the whole time he'd been carrying Riku's pups so maybe being confused was normal. At least his panic didn't seem to be over carrying Riku's pups?

Still, she didn't understand Riku at all. Who wanted to actually mate with a human? Using them to carry pups was one thing but to permanently tie yourself to one? Ugh. It just made no sense to her at all, then again mating at all seemed very confusing…especially now everything had gone so differently to how it was meant to. She just felt so lost. Maybe Riku wanted to mate with Sora because he'd only ever been around his human captors? He didn't really know anything about his own kind beyond the knowledge they were all born with after all. So if he'd had more time to learn then maybe he would have done the proper thing and picked another Siren.

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Sora struggled to make sense of what he was seeing, fighting against overwhelming terror, stammering Riku's name. Arms strong enough to pull men to the depths tenderly tugged him closer, running up and down his bare back, and then Riku's face was against his throat, nuzzling at him, and Sora shivered, feeling his body relaxing instinctively. What was happening to him?

He clung to Riku, struggling to make sense of things, to remember more. He…he was underwater, breathing…he had a tail! Riku hadn't said that would happen after his season, he hadn't…no, they'd been worried that Sora would never be able to wake up from the bond. He felt his face grow warm as hazy images and feelings of being with Riku came back, Riku had been drive purely by instinct, unable to communicate with him, but…wow. He pressed closer to Riku, closing his eyes, listening to his steady heartbeat.

I love you Riku, remember that…Don't give up…I won't…I can't feel anything…I hate having to make you do things…

Sora winced, shaking his head at the faint mess of words. What was that? He raised his head, seeing how worried Riku was, and he hated making him worry. He lifted his hand, hesitating at the sight of sharp claws, before tentatively touching Riku's face, watching him press into his hand. "Riku," he whispered, leaning in, and Riku met him, kissing him gently.

"I thought I'd lost you forever," Riku admitted when they parted.

"What's happening to me?" Sora asked, he trusted Riku, whatever was happening Riku would not have let anything bad happen to him.

Riku moved a hand to run through his hair and Sora closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation. "This was the only way to wake you up Sora. I tried everything; we all did. Sometimes… sometimes I'd see you in my dreams and every time you insisted they were real, that you were trying to wake up, it was all that gave me hope."

Dreams… "Don't give up," he whispered, feeling Riku freeze.

"Sora?" the hope in his voice was obvious.

His head hurt but there was something…something there… "as long as…we're different species…we'll never be able to just be together," Sora found the words somewhere but he didn't remember saying them.

Riku laughed, pressing another kiss to his lips. "That's what you said! When I told you Aqua knew a way for you to become a Siren. Please remember," he begged.

"Hurts," he mumbled, tucking his head back down to Riku's chest.

"What does?"

"Head… I can't…."

"Shh, it's okay, don't push it," Riku whispered.

Sora settled against him, mind spinning. He…he'd agreed to this? He guessed if it was the only way to wake up…but to be with Riku too. What he'd said, it was true. So long as Sora was human there would always be some massive obstacles between them being together. Was not being human so bad? He hadn't seen anyone except Riku…Roxas and Axel since they'd saved Riku, no humans except for the very few trips for supplies, even work at first till he'd quit. Kairi…from the size of his stomach he'd been out for months which meant by now she had to assume he was dead or…like he'd been. She'd blame Riku and that wasn't fair.

"I love you," he looked up at Riku again, seeing the joy in his eyes at the words. "I love you Riku," he said it again.

Riku kissed him again. "I love you," he grinned. "I've wanted to hear you say that since you first said it in a dream, wanted for us both to say it when awake and aware." Riku loved him, he'd never been sure exactly how Riku felt for him, even with Riku in his head. Surely he wouldn't have done all this for someone he didn't love.

"How did you…" he couldn't say it, waving a hand at his body. He hadn't really gotten a good look at himself either but he wasn't sure he was ready to really see what he looked like as a Siren. One thing at a time.

"Axel went looking for a pod he met when he was a pup, he found them. Aqua knew a way to make a human into a Siren, because her own mate Terra used to be human. We were working with a time limit because you're carrying our pups but I didn't want to do it without your permission. There was one day left when I saw you in our dreams and you agreed. Please don't ask me how exactly, it…it was hard," Riku whispered, fingers touching his throat, and Sora lifted a hand, finding a scar shaped like…oh.

"You woke up a few days ago, sort of. You've been running fully off instinct, we didn't think you'd be…you again for another few days," he kept on explaining. Not himself? He didn't remember waking up before, did he? "I…I'm sorry Sora, if you hadn't saved me you'd still be human, still have your life."

He wasn't wrong, if they'd never met he'd still be going about his life…and alone. Yeah he had his friends but they didn't see a lot of each other anymore, they all had their own lives. He hugged Riku, not wanting him to blame himself. It wasn't Riku's fault they'd sung to him that day, it could have happened any time since he lived alone on a beach. "It's not your fault," he murmured. "No regrets," he promised.

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Aqua was surprised when Riku and Sora emerged from the cave to see Sora looking around in awe and curiosity…he was fully aware it seemed. She looked to Terra, seeing he was just as surprised, he'd been 'out' for longer. He was staying pressed close to Riku, moving a bit awkwardly, brain and limbs not quite working together now that he could think, his mind expecting legs and not a tail. He stopped when he saw them, curious but also wary, and Riku smiled at him, gently urging him on.

"Sora, this is Aqua and Terra," he introduced, and blue eyes widened.

"Oh. You told Riku how to do this."

Aqua nodded. "How do you feel?"

"Okay, I think." He kept shifting, and Terra chuckled.

"Keeping yourself still takes some time to learn."

That got him a relieved look from the newest Siren.

"Where is everyone?" Riku asked, shifting to have an arm around Sora's waist, helping to stabilise him.

"Giving Sora time before he gets swarmed," Aqua answered. "Roxas told us Sora was awake earlier."

"It'll be nice to talk to him without needing Riku to translate," Sora smiled.

"First, let's see how you do swimming and moving around. It'll be a little different because of the extra weight you're carrying," she told him. Terra had never carried but he'd seen other male Sirens doing so, still it was best to learn from someone who knew what it was like.

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Terra watched as Aqua and Riku worked with Sora to get him swimming more naturally. He knew what that was like, brain and instincts at war over how to move. He figured that was part of why instinct took over totally for the first while, to start building new reflexes and muscle memory without the brain getting in the way. He thought Sora was around the same age as he'd been when changed so it shouldn't be too hard to adjust and learn, Sora might be a little older but not by too many years. Then again, he had one of those faces where it was hard to judge age. There was a lot for Sora to learn but soon he'd be too busy with the pups who would remain because it was obvious Sora and Riku saw them as both of theirs and not just Riku's, just like he saw Ven and Naminé as his and not just Aqua's. Even Axel was more involved than was normal for the carrier.

Now that Sora was awake, he wanted to beg for answers on who had Naminé but he knew they couldn't rush Sora. The thought of Naminé going through anything that had left Riku with such scars… for the first time since he'd been changed, he wished for legs again so that he could get their baby girl back himself and make them pay.

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Roxas smirked as Sora looked between him and Ventus in shock. The resemblance was kind of weird but also fun. Still, he was surprised and happy when Sora looked at him and smiled.

"Roxas."

Yes! He knew him well enough to tell them apart, even when technically they'd never spoken before.

"Sora," he smirked but then offered a hug, happy when Sora accepted. "This is Ventus."

"Call me Ven," his look alike smiled shyly at Sora who smiled back.

TBC….