13/10/2022 - This story is updating weekly on AO3 only (more chapters already posted there) now due to all the recent issues with FFN. Username and story title are the same over there. Might occasionally update here as well, probably every couple of months.

He meant to tell them about Rage, he really did. But in the end, he just couldn't do it.

Sora had decided it was about time he talked to Mickey and the others. He couldn't avoid it forever. So, with some hesitancy, he called them the next morning. It turned out Master Yen Sid had indeed been spending some of his time at Disney Castle while the three of them and Baymax stayed at his tower. When he contacted Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, he was with them, which was convenient since as far as he knew Yen Sid did not have a Gummi phone...

Before the four of them arrived in the afternoon Sora had to ask Kairi and Riku a question he knew they would find strange. "Is it alright if you two don't stay while I talk to them?"

They both looked confused. "OK... but, why Sora?" Kairi asked.

"I know you guys don't like hearing about it, and you've listened twice already, and Donald and Goofy will be here anyway."

"You sure?" Riku asked. It was true, hearing about it was awful, but it must be far more difficult for him than it was for them.

"We're happy to be here," Kairi insisted.

"Yeah, I'm sure." He wasn't lying, he couldn't think of anyone he wanted there less.

They left for the training ground when they heard the Gummi ship approaching, but in the end, it wouldn't have mattered if they had stayed.

He couldn't tell them about Rage. It already would have been a difficult conversation, but his nightmares the night before had been so bad that he barely had the energy to talk at all. Hearing that Riku had been attacked seemed to have worsened the nightmares. Now Unversed stalked him in his dreams along with the Heartless.

There was so much he would have to explain to Mickey and Master Yen Sid as well. He'd need to tell them everything about his Rage form, and how it had been a part of him for a long time now. It was one of the reasons he had wanted Donald and Goofy there so badly. They knew that when he changed, he would still always be himself afterwards.

He didn't know how Yen Sid and Mickey would react when they found out. He couldn't push away the fear that they might begin to see him as a danger. A ticking time bomb. Rage had been different in that world, but he'd always been able to control it in this one.

Even with Donald and Goofy there though, he just couldn't bring himself to relive that part of it. He knew he probably would have to one day, but right now his abridged story would have to do. Maybe he could try talking with just Donald and Goofy later. The two of them sat on either side of him at the table. Without them, he doubted he would have made it through the conversation.

He gave as many details as possible, knowing it was important for Yen Sid and the King to know. He told them about what the man's one and only goal seemed to be - to goad him into giving in to the darkness, into allowing some form of darkness to take control of both his body and his heart. Why he was obsessed with this, and fixated on Sora specifically, none of them were sure.

Above all else though, the four of them were just thankful that he was safe again. But the possibility remained, what if this man tried to hunt Sora down again?

Riku had told Mickey about the man's final words to them.
"Fine then, if you want him that badly you can have him!"

They hoped this meant he was done with Sora, but Yen Sid's concern lingered, and finding out the man's identity was something he felt they must do as soon as possible.

Sora wished this conversation would hurry up and end. It was taking much longer than his previous explanations, as it was punctuated with almost constant questions. The more he talked the more drained and empty he felt, and his body was aching terribly from being out of bed and sitting up for so long.

After several hours that felt more like days, Yen Sid eventually came to his final question.

"I have one last thing to ask you Sora," Yen Sid said, looking him dead in the eye. Sora felt as though he was boring into him with his gaze. He knew what was coming, and that Yen Sid was watching him for any hint of deception. It wasn't Sora himself he was being mindful of, but what he may potentially harbour inside him. "Are you certain that this man didn't succeed in his goal?"

All three of the others looked at Yen Sid in shock. Mickey was almost upset with him for asking, but Sora understood. After everything that had happened, he couldn't blame him for questioning whether he had been able to hold the darkness off, not after he had screwed up in the past.

"Yes," Sora told him decisively, holding his gaze. "He said it himself that he hadn't been able to do it, and that me, Kairi, and Riku had ruined his plans." Yen Sid stared at him for a few more seconds and then nodded, convinced.

"It sounds like you went through a lot Sora..." Mickey said sadly, but then smiled. "Thank goodness you're here and safe now. Riku was right when he told us to believe in you."

Talking with Riku had helped with his guilt, but Mickey's words still made him uncomfortable. But he was still grateful for them and smiled. "Thanks, Your Majesty."

With his story finally complete, they turned to leave, but Sora called out before Donald and Goofy could go. "Donald? Goofy? Could I talk to you for a sec?"

"Of course!" Donald said and they came back to sit with him, both happy to be staying a little longer.

Sora opened his mouth, but then slowly closed it again, suddenly unsure what to say. Where on earth was he meant to start? "I wanted to... When I... back there..." he trailed off and stared down at his hands in his lap, struggling to find the words.

"What is it Sora?" Goofy asked.

He could tell them. He could trust them. He knew he could. They were the only ones who knew about Rage, if he couldn't talk to them then who?
But he was scared.

They had been so afraid when they first saw Sora change into that strange and unsettling form. Sure they had come to accept it eventually, even come to appreciate it on occasion when it had gotten them out of some close calls, but Rage was still a frightening thing to behold. Seeing Sora become it wasn't something they ever got used to.

But they had quickly realised that every time he changed Sora was in control, and he would change back as soon as he could. They knew that he was still Sora no matter what, and afterwards he would be his old self again.

But what if that changed when he told them? Would they think he was a monster, just like the first time he had changed?

"Uhhh, it's... " He scratched the side of his face awkwardly. "Actually don't worry, it's nothing."

They exchanged looks. "Are you sure?" Donald asked, looking worried.

"Yeah, it's nothing."

They both peered at his face, wondering if they should ask again. Sora knew he could talk to them about anything though, if he said it was nothing then maybe it really was.

"Well just remember, we're only a phone call away!" Goofy assured him.

"Yeah! Call us anytime and we'll be on our way!" Donald agreed, both grinning at him.

"Thanks," he grinned back at them, feeling truly grateful. They looked like they wanted to stay longer, but he was too exhausted to talk anymore, and feeling a little miserable after being forced to dwell on his memories for so long. "Sorry guys but, I'm pretty tired now..."

"Aww OK," Goofy said sadly, and, seeing Sora struggling to stand, helped him walk back to bed.

They hugged him and made to leave, but before they got to the door Donald turned around and raised a finger. "Now Sora, you better cheer up, OK? No sad faces while we're gone!"

Sora's face stiffened.

"Yeah, no frowning! You just gotta keep smiling!" Goofy chuckled.

Suddenly, it was all he could do not to scream at them.

"Yep. Got it." He tried not to sound cold, and force a smile he didn't want to make onto his face. It must have been enough because they both continued grinning, and then left.

He knew they were trying to help. He knew they cared, and that they just wanted him to be happy, but he felt worse now than he had all day.

He drew his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, resting his chin on his knees and staring out the windows. After a few minutes, he saw a Gummi ship taking off, and speeding away into the stars. Kairi had said to send her or Riku a message when they could come back, but he didn't pick up his phone from the bedside table. He wasn't sure if he felt desperately lonely, or if he wanted nothing more than to be alone. Either way, he figured the two of them deserved a break from all of this.

Riku and Kairi returned in the evening, thinking surely Sora would have finished talking with the others by now. They were surprised to find him sleeping, and no one else around. Maybe he'd been so tired he forgot to message them, Kairi wondered.

In actual fact, Sora had been awake when they knocked on the door, staring up at the roof and pondering what Yen Sid had asked him. He quickly closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep as they came in though.

"I guess it was a tiring conversation then," he heard Kairi whisper in a dejected voice as they came in, and Riku made a small noise of agreement.

The two of them sat down at the table together, contemplating how to spend the rest of the evening. There were only so many times a day they could play the command board game.

"Looks like you're tired as well," Riku said quietly, as Kairi gave a wide yawn.

"Yeah, I think I'll head off to my room soon, neither of us got much sleep last night." Riku froze, fairly sure he didn't know what she meant by that, particularly since when he had poked his head in to check if they were awake that morning they had been curled up in bed together. She put him out of his misery quickly though as she looked sadly over at Sora. "His nightmares seem to be getting worse..."

He'd been tossing and turning and muttering in his sleep most of the night, frequently waking up with a start and taking a few moments to calm down again. Hearing them talking about him, Sora immediately regretted his decision to feign sleep.

"Really?"

She nodded at Riku."I wish we knew what was bothering him so much." She paused. "Riku, I'm getting worr-"

Sora yawned loudly and rolled over, desperate to interrupt the conversation before she went on. She stopped talking abruptly, not wanting to wake him as he continued his act. After a few seconds, she sighed. "I'm going to go to bed."

"Already? It's barely eight."

She got up from the table as quietly as she could. "Yeah, I'm exhausted, and could probably use a shower. I think I'll need a few days to recover from that match," she whispered back, trying to lighten the mood a bit. Riku grinned, they'd been enjoying their sparring matches, and Kairi was continuously improving.

Before leaving she paused to give him a kiss on the forehead. She'd been doing this a lot to him over the past few months. At first, he had protested, feeling rather patronised, but now he just rolled his eyes and let her. He thought it was just as sweet as Sora did, but hadn't quite accepted that he thought that yet, or noticed he occasionally did it in return.

After she closed the door he waited until he was sure she was out of earshot, then turned to Sora. "You going to keep pretending to be asleep then?"

Sora opened his eyes and turned to him, looking annoyed and confused. "How'd you know?"

"I didn't," Riku smirked, then laughed as Sora glared at him. "I thought you probably were though, you always wake up when you yawn, it hurts your ribs too much."

Why'd he have to be so damn observant...
He kept forgetting doing that made his ribs flare up every time, how the hell did Riku remember better than him... Sora sighed and looked back up at the ceiling, with a strange look in his eyes.

"Why were you pretending?"

It was a good question. "I... I'm not really sure." His voice was quiet and abnormally flat.

"Didn't feel like talking?"

"Yeah maybe... There isn't all that much I feel like doing right now, to be honest." He just felt tired and drained. He couldn't wait for the day to be over.

With a horrible drop in his stomach, Riku suddenly recognised what it was he could see in Sora's eyes. It was that same lifeless, deadened stare he had seen on his face so often in Quadratum. An unseeing gaze, devoid of even the slightest hint of happiness. Seeing that look again scared him.

He got up from the table and pulled up a chair beside the bed. "I'm guessing you didn't have a fun day?"

"Definitely not as fun as yesterday, but it was good to see Donald and Goofy." It was true, though their words were still echoing in his mind. His headache was back.

Riku opened his mouth to ask him how he was feeling, but before he could Sora's expression flipped and he grinned at him. "Did Kairi say something about a match? Were you guys fighting?" He blurted out the questions quickly, voice suddenly bright. Riku hesitated, unsure if he should let Sora put on his cheerful mask again.

"Yeah."

"She's good, right? When we fought Xehanort she was amazing."

"She told me about that, sounds like you two make a good team." How could they not, he thought. "She's gotten even better since then. She's actually beaten me a couple of times."

"Seriously?!"

Riku smiled. "Yeah, she's catching up to us."

Sora's mask slipped a little. "Heh, well, she's way past me now," he said, gesturing at his broken body. He was happy for her, and proud of her, but yet again he found himself watching everyone else moving forward without him.

"Well, how about when you're better I can help you catch back up too?"

For a few moments, Sora's smile was a little more genuine. "Sounds good to me."

He was working so damn hard to seem like he was fine, and Riku wished he didn't feel like he needed to. He wanted him to know it was OK if he felt sad or angry right now, he didn't have to keep trying to bury it. They sat in silence for a while, Riku unsure what he could say to convince Sora to stop putting on a happy face for him, and Sora lost in his thoughts, staring up at the roof again.

"Hey Riku?"

"Yeah?"

Sora turned to face him again and looked as though what he was about to say made him uncomfortable. "Could you sleep here tonight?" Riku's stomach flipped. "It's kind of pathetic but... I can't sleep properly by myself at the moment."

He felt like such a little kid asking, but there was no getting around the fact that he couldn't.

Recovering from his surprise, Riku smiled empathetically. "It's not pathetic Sora," he told him as he took off his shoes and jacket. He climbed into the bed and put an arm around him, unconcerned that he would now be stuck here despite how early in the evening it still was. Sora turned and laid his head and arm on his chest, just like the day before.

"Thanks."

Instinctively, Riku started running his hand through Sora's hair. After a minute or so he realised what he was doing and abruptly took his hand away, face burning with embarrassment. "Sorry!" He wasn't sure exactly why he was apologising, but his brain was whirring so fast he'd just blurted it out.

"No..." Sora said sleepily, thankful for something soothing for his headache. He shifted a little closer to him."It's nice..."

Face still burning, but relieved, Riku went back to running his hand gently through Sora's hair as he drifted off.

Though still awful, Sora's nightmares weren't quite so constant that night.

It was another four days before Baymax gave Sora permission to travel and they were all ecstatic. Sora thought being stuck in this room for just one more day would be enough to make him jump out the window by this point, and he suspected Riku and Kairi felt similarly.

As soon as Baymax told them the three began making plans to leave the following morning. Aqua, Ven, and Terra were just as pleased as them when they found out they would be coming to join them. Baymax planned to travel with them to keep an eye on Sora until he was safely settled, and then finally return home.

Sora was still slowly, but steadily, improving. The bags under his eyes had finally faded, and his dizziness had lessened to the point where he could walk unassisted. His headache was ever present, but mild compared to several days ago. More than all of these things, he was thrilled that he could finally move his hand again, even though his grip was currently too weak to hold much more than an empty cup. He even had most of the feeling back in his fingers and forearm.

But, he was still almost as pale as the day he woke up, terribly tired, and plagued by aching muscles and joints. Baymax told him that, all things considered, he was making good progress, and had reminded him, several times, that a long recovery period was to be expected. He had been forced to push his body far too hard for a long period of time, and now it needed extra rest to make up for it.

But old habits die hard, and he was still putting a great deal of effort into hiding the near-constant pain in his chest and chronic fatigue. Gradually these were improving though, and he tried to focus on that as much as possible.

Aqua had visited again several days earlier when Baymax thought it was safe for Sora to have magic used on him again. She had suggested working on his chest injuries this time instead since the pain from these must still be severe, and probably making it more difficult for him to rest. She thought his arm really should be a lower priority right now, but he pleaded with her to heal it instead, insisting the pain wasn't bothering him. Aqua didn't believe him for a second but respected his wishes.

Sora knew he could deal with pain. The thought of never regaining the use of his arm, of never being able to fight again, was infinitely worse than any pain he was experiencing. Aqua was probably the only one who could heal his damaged nerves, so he didn't want to waste her magic or his energy on anything else.

Riku and Kairi could help him if he desperately needed anything else, at least until he was strong enough to use his own magic. But, considering Aqua's spell left him sleeping for almost a full 24 hours this time, he thought it would probably be a long time before he could do that again.

Kairi and Riku weren't sure if it was just tiredness or boredom, but Sora had seemed quieter the past few days.

Occasionally Riku would see him staring into space, that hollow, listless, and horribly familiar look on his face again. Kairi had noticed it too, and how the closer it came to nightfall the more often it would appear. It would disappear the moment they spoke to him though, the usual spark back in his eyes as he was pulled away from his thoughts.

They had been taking turns sleeping next to him, trying to keep his nightmares away, and soothe their own anxiety for him. Unknowingly, they had been playing a game of chicken, each waiting for the other to claim the spot next to Sora every night.

Kairi was getting impatient with the two boys, while Riku was still concerned he might be intruding on Sora and her, and unintentionally interfering with their relationship. He was feeling conflicted and confused though.

Neither Kairi nor Sora seemed to have acted on their feelings yet; if they had, he was certain one of them would have said something to him. Even if they hadn't told him he surely would have noticed a change in the way they acted with each other. He didn't understand why they hadn't, he was sure he had given them plenty of opportunities. He'd even mentioned in passing that he might head off for a day or two, but both Sora and Kairi had seemed upset at the idea, so he quickly dropped it.

Every day he doubted his assumptions about the two of them more, and then kicked himself for doing so. He was hoping things might become clearer, one way or the other, once they were finally able to leave this world.

The night before they left, Riku won his and Kairi's secret game and retreated to the spare bedroom he had been using. It was a good thing he had as well. He was feeling anxious about leaving in the morning. Sora was easily well enough to make the trip and he knew he would be fine, but the memory of the last time they were in the Gummi ship together was still raw.

The association between the ship and seeing Sora on the brink of death was strong enough to make it into his dreams, and that night he was also consumed with nightmares. Nightmares of bloody bandages and screams.

But the next day the Gummi ship ride went as smoothly as they all expected. Most of the Heartless ships congregated near the Badlands these days, and as long as they stayed clear of that they hardly ever encountered them. Sora was finally at a point where sitting up wasn't painful so was able to actually enjoy the trip, although he did end up dozing off for half of it.

He'd flown through space a hundred times in a ship just like Riku's, but after such a long time he felt as though he was seeing it all for the first time again. As the trip went on Riku gradually began to relax, looking forward to replacing the old memories of this ship with new ones.

Kairi couldn't stop thinking about what an awful job getting all the blood off the floor must have been, and wondering who had done it. Maybe some of Yen Sid's broomstick assistants had dealt with it for them. Like Riku, she was hoping to forget the experience of their last flight soon.

Compared to the cramped tower room, the Departure Castle felt like a true paradise.

"Sora! Riku! Kairi!" Ven came sprinting down the Castle steps to meet them, as they rounded the corner into the courtyard. Terra and Aqua were standing in the open entranceway at the top of the stairs, beaming down at them all. "Come on, we'll show you around," Terra called out, gesturing them inside.

Sora and Riku were given the grand tour, mainly led by Ventus and Kairi, who were struggling to contain their excitement. Riku thought he had already seen most of the Castle before, but it was much bigger than he had realised.

They showed him and Sora to their new rooms, each furnished with a bed, desk, and bookcases, half filled with old books that had been sitting there for years. Through the tall arched windows above the beds was a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains and Castle grounds. They could even see down to the obstacle course the others used for training, and the Gummi ship they had parked beside it.

To their surprise, they also found two piles of spare clothes and pyjamas at the end of their beds, a gift from the good fairies. They were lucky their usual clothes were enchanted, otherwise, they would have stunk by now. Even when your clothes were magic it was still nice to have a change sometimes and some actual pyjamas.

Ventus and Kairi's rooms were filled with many more possessions. Ven's walls were adorned with posters and the bookcases were full of trinkets, along with books. Most of these books looked untouched, although it wasn't clear if that was because the room had been empty for 10 years, or if Ven had never opened them. He proudly showed them a golden telescope, a gift from Terra soon after he had first arrived at the castle, and he had noticed how much time Ven spent staring at the sky.

Kairi had mostly decorated her room with a large number of plants and flowers, sitting in pots on the desk and shelves and dangling from the high ceiling. The range of colours was dazzling, her room a reflection of her Keyblade. To her great relief, it seemed as though someone had been watering all of them while she was gone. She asked Ven if it had been him and, with a small pop, Chirithy appeared in the rafters and dropped down, holding a small watering can.

"I hope you don't mind Kairi, I didn't want any of them to wilt while you were away!"

Kairi answered by picking him up and giving him a hug, causing his ears to flap cheerfully.

"Chirithy!" Sora cried out happily, immediately joining in on the hug.

"It's good to see you Sora," he squeaked, only slightly squashed.

Ventus still didn't remember how he knew this strange little creature, but the moment he had set eyes on him he'd known they were close friends and had unknowingly been missing him for a very long time.

Chirithy, on the other hand, did remember, but knew he could never tell Ven. If those memories were going to come back they had to come back of their own accord. Having them dragged back out before he was ready would be disastrous, maybe even sending him back into a comatose state. To Chirithy's great relief Ven had accepted this explanation unquestioningly, knowing somehow that he could trust his friend unconditionally.

Sora had only ever seen the entrance way to the Castle before, and the large room where they had fought Vanitus, and Ven had finally awoken. It was much larger than he had expected.

There was a kitchen, a comfy living and dining room, an enormous library, multiple studies, and several rooms that looked like they maybe have once been used as classrooms, though they were very different to the ones at his, Kairi, and Riku's school. It had only been a few years since he had sat in one of those classrooms, but it felt like a lifetime ago.

Aqua and Terra explained that, although they didn't know the whole history of this world, they knew it had been protected by generations of Keyblade Masters. It seemed that the castle itself had originally been intended to be used as a Keyblade wielder academy, and as a home for the attending apprentices. Whether it had ever actually been used for that, or if they were the only pupils to have ever trained there, they didn't know, but it had been their home for a long time.

To Sora's surprise, as they wandered through the halls he noticed Aqua and Terra holding hands, and even saw them share a quick kiss when they thought no one was looking. He grinned. He guessed that was another thing that had changed in the past year.

Once the tour of the castle came to an end it was clear Sora's legs couldn't cope with a long walk through the grounds right now, so they made their way to the kitchen. Like many of the rooms in the castle, it was high ceilinged and airy, but also somehow cosy. It was the kind of place Sora imagined the three had spent hundreds of hours together, at the beginnings and ends of long days of training.

Aqua and Terra told them a large group of their friends had all but demanded they come to visit that evening, so they should expect plenty of company later. Initially, it had just been Donald and Goofy who were going to visit, a quick stop in to see Sora and then to give Baymax a lift home.

Word had quickly gone around though that Sora, Riku, and Kairi had moved on from the tower and were now staying at the Land of Departure, and between the excitement of the inhabitants of Twilight Town and Radiant Garden, a party seemed to have somehow been planned.

They had gathered around the kitchen table with the intention of Aqua examining Sora's arm. Before she began though, Terra asked the question Sora had become used to hearing. "Aqua told us your memory had started to come back Sora, do you remember what happened to you yet?" He sighed internally and began the tale once again.

He thought he must be getting used to telling this story by now. It had been painful before, but this time he just felt numb. Ven, Aqua, and Terra seemed just as upset at hearing it as his other friends had, and as sympathetic. Sympathy wasn't something he particularly wanted right now though.

He wished everyone would just drop this and let him forget. Didn't enough of them know the story by now? The portal had closed and there had been no sign of that man, so surely there were more important things for them to deal with. If it needed investigating surely Yen Sid would have reached out to the other wielders and sent them on a mission to track down information. It didn't matter. What was the point in continuing to bring it up?

It wasn't like he needed to talk about it more either. He'd talked to Kairi and Riku about how difficult it had been. He'd already opened up to them about how bad it had been, how miserable he had been. He'd had a good cry about it, shouldn't that be enough for him to be able to move on? He was back, he was fine now. Everything should be fine now.

So why didn't he feel fine? Why did the nightmares persist...

He was thankful they didn't ask any questions once he was done. He hadn't noticed, having been staring down at the table the whole time, but Riku and Kairi had spent much of the last five minutes giving Terra and Ven respectively looks that very clearly said shut up. Aqua was intuitive enough to know Sora wanted to stop talking about this as soon as possible, so once he finished the story she suggested they move on to looking at his arm straight away, to Sora's great relief.

Baymax had joined them in the kitchen, not having followed them around for the tour in case of narrow doorways. He informed Aqua that Sora was doing well and that it was safe for her to continue healing him. "You do not seem to have suffered any negative effects from the journey here Sora. I am comfortable with you receiving more magical treatment. Please be mindful though and stop Master Aqua if you are feeling any fatigue."

"Got it!" Sora was excited, now that he could move his hand again he had started feeling much more optimistic about his recovery.

Aqua summoned her Keyblade and pointed it at Sora's forearm. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

She nodded and cast cura. Again Sora felt that unpleasant sensation of ligaments and bones knitting back together, and an intense tingling he assumed was his nerves being repaired. Just like the previous times, he felt his energy being sapped away, but he was certain he could last the full spell. He clenched his other fist and gritted his teeth. Just a little longer... Just a few more seconds...

"Please stop Master Aqua."

"Aqua stop!"

She ceased the spell immediately at Baymax's voice and Kairi's simultaneous yell and looked up. Sora had gone completely white and his face was shining with sweat. Ven dashed to his side and grabbed his shoulder as he tilted dangerously in his chair, and Riku sat down next to him looking anxious. "You OK?" He asked.

"Y-Yeah." He was shaking and breathing fast. "Might have overdone it a little…"

"I'm so sorry Sora!" Aqua exclaimed in horror. "I shouldn't have used a spell that powerful so soon"

"No, it's my fault… Sorry Aqua… guess I overestimated myself... a bit…" he panted. Stars were forming in the corners of his vision and he felt ill. He put his other arm on the table and leant down, resting his head on it and closing his eyes. His head was spinning.

"Do you need anything?" Riku asked. Sora looked like he was about to pass out or vomit again.

"Just dizzy," was all he could manage in response. Riku rubbed his back and Sora's nausea began to slowly fade.

He was so sick of this. It seemed like every time he started making progress, he got knocked back again. "Sorry Aqua," Sora mumbled again a minute or two later, head still on the table. He didn't want her to feel bad because of his mistake.

"It's OK Sora, I'll be more careful next time."

Kairi brought him some water and Sora slowly lifted his head. The stars in his vision were receding, and he took the glass from her gratefully. He hated how they were all looking at him with such concern. "I'm alright now," he tried to smile. Baymax scanned him and confirmed that his condition was still stable, but he had definitely pushed himself further than was advisable.

"I suggest immediate rest," Baymax told him, and he nodded. There would have been no point in arguing, even if he did have the will to try. He was furious with himself for messing up like this. He'd really thought he was going to be alright, but it seemed he was still coming to terms with just how low his energy reserves were. He was starting to wonder if he'd ever get his energy back.

Aqua carefully rewrapped Sora's forearm in bandages and, without a word, Riku pulled his other arm around his shoulder, and helped him out of his chair. They walked in silence back to Sora's room. Riku could tell he didn't want to talk or be asked if he was all right again.

Even at times like this Riku couldn't help but find it a little funny just how far he had to bend down to support Sora like this, since he was still so much shorter than him. He hoped he stayed like that, though he doubted Sora would be happy about it if he did.

When they got to Sora's room Riku lowered them both onto the edge of the bed and put a hand on Sora's shoulder.

"Give me a yell if you need anything, yeah?"

Sora nodded, but Riku was obviously still worried by his miserable expression. "Don't worry, I'm alright," Sora tried to reassure him, but he was lying, and Riku knew it.

"Do you want me to stay for a bit?"

"... yeah, that would be good."

Riku put his arm around him and he leaned against him, too worn out to talk. He had been so sick of sleeping all the time, but right now the idea of being able to disappear for a little while, of not having to be present in his own mind or body, was quite appealing. He wanted to sit here with Riku just a little longer first though, leaning against him... his arm around him... then he'd lie down... and... sleep.

It took just a few minutes for him to doze off against Riku's side. Doing his best not to wake him, Riku carefully lifted him onto the bed and, smirking a little, took his shoes off for him. The dumbass had managed to pass out so fast he'd forgotten about them.

When he was sure Sora was still fast asleep, he reached out and shifted some of his hair away from his face. Riku's amusement faded though and was replaced with unease.

Yesterday the shadows under Sora's eyes, so deep and dark two weeks ago, had been gone. But suddenly they seemed to be returning, a faint tinge of purple beginning to shade the skin beneath his eyes. He touched a finger to the raised scar on his temple, remembering the horror of seeing it bleeding down the side of his face. The hair around it was growing back normally, but Baymax had been right about it not growing through the scarred skin.

He put a hand on his shoulder briefly, then left him to recover for a few hours, before their friends arrived in the evening. He desperately hoped being here, and out of that tower room, would keep that pained, hollow look in Sora's eyes away.