The journey was long and painful. The exertion kept Sora from making small talk, much to his chagrin. He was dying to alleviate the pit in his stomach from carrying the same weight. However, there was solace in that whenever one of them felt especially weakened, they would lean on the other. This symbiotic alternation kept them going until they reached the train station at dusk. Sora helped Riku onto a nearby bench as he offered up what change he still had to a nearby ticket kiosk. Riku leaned back, breathing in despite his remnant injuries. He was both relieved and disappointed, but mostly just angry with himself. Being close to Sora beyond necessity was only going to make the future more difficult, he he had been weak.

Sora returned triumphantly holding two tickets in one hand, with the other suspiciously behind his back. Riku held out his hand, anticipating his ticket. Instead, he was handed ice cream. He blinked in disbelief.

"I had enough for these!" Sora beamed, taking his seat next to Riku, removing the wrapping on his own frozen treat. He all but shoved the entire thing in his mouth. Riku smiled derisively, pocketing the two tickets Sora had precariously between his fingers. Your priorities are lacking as always, he thought, and playfully bonked Sora's forehead.

"Ow," Sora laughed. "Awen't yew gonna ea tha?"

Riku moved to close Sora's mouth, pushing his jaw up from beneath. Don't talk with your mouth full.

All the while, giggles impeded his success. "Okay, okay," Sora relented, keeping his verbal outputs to mere expressions of enjoyment. Riku looked on wistfully, then remembered to open his ice cream. After a few licks, the refreshing cool soothed his throat and he couldn't help but wonder if that was why Sora had bought them.

Their train arrived a little while later, and Sora took a seat by the window. Riku followed behind him, facing the aisle. Sora peeked over at him. "Do you mind if I sleep until the next station?"

Riku shook his head. It was going to take a few hours, and the blackness of the night sky did not exactly inspire energy. Sora smiled in reply. "Just wake me up, and then we can switch," he said, leaning against the window.

The train started moving, and the slight bumpiness of the tracks caused his head to routinely hit the glass. He silently bore it, resigning himself to the fate he had chosen. That was when he heard that familiar, annoyed sigh, and suddenly his world shifted. Sora looked up to see Riku coolly looking through the adjacent windows, and then to his shoulder, which he was now rigidly up against. His heartbeat started to hasten, but he rationalized it as being touched by Riku's thoughtfulness.

Sora slowly started to relax against the other boy, finding himself more and more used to their closeness. This is normal, he reassured himself.

We're best friends, he hazily reasoned, dozing off to sleep.

Riku's face didn't show the happiness he experienced when Sora didn't move away from him. He had been determined not to betray too much. His heart clenched. He only doesn't deny you because he thinks you're friends. You're abusing those assumptions with your disgusting feelings. Riku swore he could see the other him reflected in the window. His doppelgänger's expression was that of a skewed smile, and he found its distortion truly unsettling. A last ditch effort of defiance caused Riku to avert his gaze. The train car was nearly empty, save for a handful of other passengers dispersed throughout. Suddenly, Riku felt as though they were staring. Unlike the upturned crescent that his reflection wore, their mouths tilted in revulsion.

Riku looked down at their state: their clothes were covered in patches of dried mud, matted blood and tears. Their battered bodies were more or less covered, but Sora's pale complexion gave him no hope for his own. Surely this reason can't be-

His mind ground to a halt when he saw someone in particular, an older woman, darting her eyes disapprovingly between the huddled boys. Oh. Even if he had been capable of speech, his realization would have stolen all words and breath, hiding them away.

See? His reflection returned to his peripheral. That's the normal reaction. A shadowy, angular hand emerged from the glass, hovering over Sora's face. If he knew, he'd feel the same way they do.

Riku felt wetness against his cheek. No, he defied the voice.

Sora would never hate me for being this way. His recent openness to physical affection reassured him that this was true.

Like I said, the copy repeated. He thinks that's just friendship. The smile deepened. He was probably afraid he'd hurt you if he said anything.

The hairs on Riku's neck stood on end. The voice carried on. You just make him uncomfortable.

Riku wiped the tears from his eyes and clenched them shut. You're not real, he proclaimed, wishing for silence to be his only reply.

Heh. Be that way.

The ambient silence returned to the space, but Riku couldn't calm down. He left Sora asleep, too paranoid and on-edge for rest to be an option.

There was another reason. Riku didn't want to admit it, but the thought of facing Sora at this moment was absolutely and completely terrifying.

Hours later, Riku gently shook Sora's shoulder. The other boy jostled awake, moving away and quickly wiping drool from his mouth. "Is it," he began, but was cut off by the announcement declaring they had reached their destination. "Huh? Riku, you were supposed to wake me up!"

Sora was going to berate him more, but stopped when he saw his face. Riku looked horrible. His color was pallid and deep dark circles emphasized his eyes in all the worst ways. "You look awful." He tugged on his cheek.

The silver-haired boy was used to such an action, and merely pointed towards the doors. "Okay," Sora responded. "Let's get you to a doctor."

Riku pointed at Sora. "Don't worry, I'll probably be fine with a potion," he disagreed. Standing up, he gripped Riku's closest hand firmly in his own. "Let's go." He pulled the awestruck boy up, and without waiting for him to move, he shuffled across him to the aisle. "I'll lead you."

The taller boy was definitely the more intimidating of the two, but he looked just as scared as any child at that moment. His eyes darted between the other passengers. "What's wrong, Riku?"

Riku looked down at their hands.

Sora was suddenly self-conscious. "Do you dislike it?"

Riku looked away, ever so slightly shaking his head.

Sora squeezed his hand gently. "I don't know what's wrong, but isn't that all that matters?"

Riku looked at him in what can only be explained as wonder. He balked back. "Did I say something weird?"

The taller boy could only shake his head. His look of genuine amazement amused the shorter boy.

"Good," Sora smiled, and began to take a step. "Then let's go, together."

As Riku felt himself being led forward, he tightened his hold.

Whenever I'm surrounded by darkness…

You're there to light my way.

He hoped Sora wouldn't turn around and see what he was sure was a broad, goofy smile.