Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 43

Dai stirred as he sensed movement, then a warm body was curling into his side. He wrapped an arm around her, letting Naminé cuddle close. The beds in Olympus were strange but very comfortable, warm but not hot, and he drifted back to sleep very quickly.

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Demyx blinked and got to his feet, looking around blearily. Where was he? It was a town, stone buildings, dim light…nothing familiar. What had he been doing…oh right, the Sleeping Worlds. He leapt over the banister, landing easily on the ground below. Where were Ventus and Aqua? "Hey guys?!" he called out and then he spotted a shoe at the edge of the alley.

He ran over to find Ventus slumped against the wall, eyes closed and breathing. "Ventus," he shook his shoulder. "Hey Ven, wake up."

"Huh?" Sleepy blue eyes slowly blinked open. "Demyx?" he shook off the sleepiness and Demyx offered him a hand up. "Where…" he looked around, frowning in confusion. "I…I know this place…"

"Really? That's great cause I've got no clue. So where are we?" Demyx asked him.

"It's…" Ventus looked around. "No…Sora's been here. A lot…he turned here," Ventus swallowed.

"This isn't Halloween Town, been there." And he was never going back after meeting Sora!

"No, they got him out of there and brought him…Traverse Town!" Ventus suddenly shouted, and Demyx jumped at the noise.

"Traverse…oh! That's the World that shows up for displaced people but aren't we meant to be in the Sleeping Worlds?" From what the Organisation knew of Sora's journey, Demyx was pretty sure Sora was in Traverse Town at the moment. Time travel was a headache to even consider.

"Maybe it can appear there too if needed?" Ventus suggested, looking around. "Where's Aqua?"

"Don't know. I woke up on the balcony," he pointed up to where he'd woken up. "She could be anywhere here."

"Aqua!" Ven shouted but she didn't answer.

"Shut it," an unfamiliar voice called.

"Huh?" they both called, looking around.

"Talk about noise..."

Demyx looked up and saw a teenager hanging from the roof nearby. He tapped Ventus' shoulder and the other blond looked up too.

"One of you Sora?" the stranger asked.

"Nope, never heard of him," Demyx lied.

Demyx was a reconnaissance expert after all, he knew when to lie. And some stranger in the Sleeping Worlds that Sora had never been to somehow knowing the kids name? Yeah, something was seriously off. Ven opened his mouth and Demyx stepped lightly on his foot in warning. He might prefer sleeping or making music but he could be serious if needed.

He owed Sora his existence, he wasn't going to give him up to a possible enemy. The Organisation was gone so who could be after Sora now? Maleficent liked the kid and he was basically her son-in-law so he seriously doubted she was. One of the other members of her old group? Demyx was pretty sure most of them were dead. And now they stuck in whatever plot there was to kill/kidnap the vampire, great.

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Donald watched the three teens vanish, hating to send them off alone. It was hard to not feel a little…well, jealous towards Riku and Kairi. Sora had become so focused on them, not that he could really blame him considering everything they'd been through, that it was easy to feel like he'd abandoned them. Donald knew it wasn't true, that Sora still sought them out in the quiet moments just for company.

"Come on, time to head home for a while," the King told them.

Donald grumbled but headed for the ship. It would be good to see Daisy and he'd just have to trust that the kids would all be okay. Still, he couldn't help worrying and he knew Goofy was worried as well. But Merlin had ensured all three groups could call for help if needed and Sora was level-headed enough to do so if they got into trouble. He'd grown up so much since their first meeting, he'd been forced to by circumstances. Donald wished Sora, that all of them, could have been kids for longer.

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Sora and Riku grabbed Kairi, steadying her as they landed on a new World. Her breath steamed slightly and she shivered, Sora quickly casting a spell to keep her warmer, getting a smile of thanks.

"I wonder where we are?" she asked, glancing around.

"Somewhere where it snows," Sora grinned, and she rolled her eyes even as Riku smothered a laugh.

"It's beautiful though, isn't it?" Riku asked, glancing around at the snow and delicate frost covering everything.

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "Well, let's find out why Merlin's spell brought us here!" he grinned, grabbing their hands to run through the snow. It was really good to hear Riku laugh at that.

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Aqua blinked and looked around in confusion. Where was she? It was dark, the streets lit by lamps, the buildings and streets made of stone. It was…quaint, and very quiet, too quiet other than the sound of the nearby fountain. The fountain was cute, two dogs kissing. Sometimes it felt like she was surrounded by such things, between the trio and the way Naminé and Dai were dancing around each other. It…hurt. It was a reminder of happier days before their exam. If she'd been more supportive of Terra, had listened better, would he have given into the Darkness? Love was meant to protect from Darkness, had she not been enough to ground him?

"Ven?!" she called out. "Demyx?" Where were they? They must have gotten separated… there'd been that storm, the one that had destroyed the Islands. So it wouldn't be surprising at all that they had landed apart. Maybe Demyx recognised the World they were in? He'd been in the Organisation at the time so he had likely been to several Worlds that fell to Darkness and sleep over the years.

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Ven froze as his hand was grabbed and examined.

"Looks like you're not a Player," the stranger said after a moment, before he looked over Demyx too.

"A Player?" he asked, curious.

"C'mon, keep up. In the Game." He showed them his own palm which reads "43:09" in red lit numbers, slowly counting down. Not the strangest thing Ventus had ever seen, but it was definitely up there. "Players get marked with the time limit. And this Game, I can't afford to lose. I need my Game partner."

"Well, who's your partner, if we run into them we can let them know you're around here. And what's this game anyway?" Demyx asked innocently but Ventus could smell the wariness on him and that made Ventus cautious too. "What's your name anyway?"

The teen stared at them for a moment before answering. "Neku Sakuraba and you two?"

"I'm Myx, this is Ven. We're actually looking for someone too, so maybe we can all help each other."

"Yeah, I guess. Her name's Shiki and the game is the Reaper Game."

"That sounds….ominous," Demyx shuddered slightly. "Well, we're looking for Aqua, she's pretty distinctive, she's got short blue hair, about my age. And we're not playing a game, we're travelling together."

"Dream Eaters!" Neku suddenly yelled, pointing, and they both turned. Those…were the creatures Master Yen Sid had shown them.

Ventus summoned his Keyblade and got ready to fight.

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Riku looked to Sora when he stopped, head tilted slightly, listening to something beyond his and Kairi's hearing. "Sora?"

"I'm not sure, but that way," he pointed.

"Then that way it is," Kairi headed that way and Riku sighed but followed, hearing Sora snicker.

They walked through the snow until they reached a clearing with a small pond or lake in the centre, it was frozen over and on the surface…was a teen skating barefoot on the ice. He was dressed in brown pants with tattered hems and a blue jumper that seemed to have frost on it. He held a wooden staff of some kind in his hands as he moved over the ice, he seemed almost a part of everything. His skin was pale and his hair was as white as the surrounding snow.

"He has no heartbeat," Sora murmured in wonder.

"Do you think he's a vampire?" Kairi asked.

"He could be or he could be something else," Riku pointed out, not wanting to get Sora's hopes up. He knew Sora wanted to meet others like himself, ones that weren't like his Sire. If Riku ever met her…he pushed back the rage even thinking of her caused. One day, she'd get what she deserved.

"Well, let's say hi and find out," Kairi stepped out before they could stop her. "Hello!" she called but the other teen didn't react. "Hello?" she walked up to the ice. "You're a really good skater, what's your name?" that got a reaction, poor guy nearly tripped he spun so fast to face her, then glanced behind himself and back to Kairi.

"Are…are you talking to me?"

"Of course, who else would I be talking to. Not like these two know how to skate," she pointed at them.

"But…you…you can see me?" blue eyes were very wide as the teen looked between the three of them. "Wait, you can hear me?" he sounded utterly shocked.

"We can," Riku answered, moving to stand beside her, Sora on her other side. "I'm Riku, this is Kairi and Sora."

"Jack…Jack Frost."

Well, that was a very fitting last name given his appearance.

"Nice to meet you Jack," Sora grinned at him, and Jack stared at him before slowly grinning back. Sora held his hand out to Jack who looked so hopeful and yet resigned as he reached out to Sora, looking utterly shocked when their hands connected.

"But…how?" he whispered.

"What's wrong?" Riku asked, concerned by his reactions.

"Three hundred years and no one's seen me, heard me…"

Wait…three hundred years?!

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Minnie rushed through the halls towards the garden, not slowing as the doors to the underground hanger opened and out stepped Mickey, his face lighting up as he saw her, easily catching her. "You're home!"

Mickey spun with her and she laughed, holding on tight. "I've missed you," he murmured.

She looked behind him to see Donald and Goofy but… "Where are the children?" Surely they could have come for a visit? Did Sora think he wasn't welcome? He hadn't reacted to the Cornerstone until he was in the room with it so surely visiting the castle would be alright?

"I have so much to tell you," he answered and her heart sank.

"Are they…"

"They're travelling together." They began to walk into the castle, Daisy going to Donald.

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"Wow! Where's your Portal?"

Aqua spun around, looking and then she looked up to see a teenage boy around Ven's age sitting on top of the fountain.

"It takes something special to jump between grounds without one."

"Who are you?" she asked warily.

"My name is Joshua," he smiled at her.

"What do you mean, "Portal"?" she demanded.

"Are we just skipping past the part where you tell me your name?" the teen was smirking now.

"My name is Aqua," she answered, not bothering with her title since she doubted he'd know what it meant.

Joshua chuckled. "Hello there, Aqua Portals are like gateways that link up our worlds. Apparently, the world you and I are standing in right now…well, there are two copies of it. It's been sort of split in half. Portals are what let folks like us cross between them," he explained, surprising and worrying her.

"There can be two of a world?" she had never heard of such a thing but then again, she had never been to the Sleeping Worlds before. Perhaps they were truly that different.

"The world is as many things as people need it to be. The concept that we all live in the same world, that's just in our heads. Surely you knew? I'll tell you what Aqua, I've got a little errand for you."

"Sorry, I don't trust you and I have my own mission."

"Aw, at least hear me out! I'm looking for a girl named Rhyme. She's the key to the Portal. And on the other side, who knows who we'll find? Maybe even your friend...Sora."

"You know Sora?" She asked, not overly surprised since Sora seemed to know everyone. Perhaps he had been to this World before it fell to Darkness and Sleep.

Joshua laughed. "Now I have your attention." He dropped to the ground. "But, unfortunately, I don't know where he is."

"He should be nowhere near here," she told him. Aqua didn't like where this was going, was it a trap? But only Master Yen Sid, Mickey, and Merlin had known they were coming until the group had been informed and none of them would tell. "Sora can't come to the Sleeping Worlds."

That seemed to surprise Joshua. "Interesting…then who are you looking for?"

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Lea watched the two goddesses as they playfully competed against each other. Olympus was so strange but it was also kind of peaceful even when chaotic. Naminé was doing well with her training thankfully. He'd caught her sneaking into Daichi's room a few times at 'night' but he ignored it, it wasn't any of his business if those two wanted to be together. He doubted anyone would say anything, especially when Sora, Kairi, and Riku were a triad. Really, it made sense to him that Dai and Naminé would end up together considering who they had come from. If Sora had a Nobody or Replica, Lea assumed there'd be another triad.

It was so strange being human again, with all the messy emotions involved. He missed Isa so much more now than he'd missed Saïx as they drifted further apart. He kept hoping he'd get a call form Ienzo saying Isa had appeared but there'd been no sign yet. His Heartless must not have been destroyed yet. They'd been best friends before the mess with Xehanort and losing their Hearts, would it have become more as they got older? He wasn't sure, they'd been teenagers after all and hadn't done anything. Maybe one day he'd find out or find someone. He was human now; it was a possibility he hadn't had for the lest decade.

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Jack stared at the three before him, unable to believe it. they could see him! He had touched the shorter boy…Sora's hand, had shaken it like he was a real person and not an unwanted spirit. It felt so strange to touch someone, for them not to simply pass through him. There was something though…something clinging to Sora's form…magic?

"Are you human?" he asked cautiously, seeing the surprise in Sora's eyes before he glanced at Riku.

"What makes you ask?" Riku asked, he seemed the more cautious of the three.

"I can feel magic in your skin," he answered while looking at Sora. "Are you a Spirit too?" While a little disappointing, even having another Spirit willing to speak with him would be amazing.

Other Winter Spirits and Sprites weren't…well they weren't exactly good company and most didn't like him, he was too nice apparently. He didn't consider being a monster a good thing and that was what most of them were. Other seasonals lumped him in with them without giving him a chance. Non-seasonals tended to keep their distance too. He'd tried with most of the Guardians and only Sandy would ever respond positively, he'd wave or even work with him, competing on who could make better designs with frost and sand.

The three seemed to talk without saying a word, Sora shifting almost nervously? Maybe… Riku's colouring was kind of similar to his own, could he be another Winter Spirit who wasn't totally nuts or violent?

"Kairi's human," Sora finally said. "Riku and I, we used to be."

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Mickey sat back on the couch, happy to be home. He'd explained everything to Minnie who had been horrified for the children. Hearing of Riku's pain had made her cry, but she was happy the three had each other now. She was also very happy to learn Aqua had been found and Ventus' Heart restored to him. Now they just had to find Terra and Mickey had heard from Master Yen Sid on his fear of Terra's fate. After what had happened to Riku…it made a scary amount of sense. Riku had been traumatised enough, would anything of Terra still exist after a decade?

He hoped Naminé's training was going well and that they were enjoying their time in Olympus. He was the most worried for Aqua's group though, it had been planned as a Mark of Mastery exam so she should be fine, but Ventus and Demyx? So long as they remained together they should manage just fine. He wished he could be doing more for all of the kids but he couldn't always be there, he hadn't really been there for any of them when most needed. He felt guilty over that, but he hadn't expected Donald and Goofy to find a kid when he told them to follow the Key. He'd been hoping for someone around Terra's age to have called on the Kingdom Key. Instead they'd all been kids, younger than Ventus, but by the time he learned that he'd already made his way into the Realm of Darkness. This time, if they needed him, he would be there, Merlin had made sure he could get to whoever called for help.

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Young Xehanort looked down at the two people who had followed Neku. Neither of them was Sora, where was the boy? And yet the blond had a Keyblade in his hand, who was he? He was not either of the boys that he had been told of. He had convinced Neku to bring Sora to him in exchange for getting him and his partner home, not that he planned to go through with the bargain.

Though, there was something about the older blond…a Nobody?!

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"Neku don't!" Ven called when Neku moved between them and the figure in the black coat. He felt Demyx grab the back of his jacket, yanking him back as Neku was batted aside, an attack landing where Ventus had been standing. Instinct said activate his armour…except he didn't have any, all of their clothing had been different when they woke up.

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Demyx stared at the black coated figure, frowning. He knew every member…and this was not any of them, even with their hoods up he could identify them all via the slight differences in style as well as height and body type. This one was a total stranger which he guessed made sense since they were all meant to be dead except him. He should be the last Nobody Organisation member, well ex-member, left. Who would even restart it with Xemnas gone? Unless that creepy wizard was right and Xemnas was now recompleted and was Xehanort again? If that was right then he'd been very busy to have already recruited new members.

And then he was having to support Ventus' full weight as he slumped, apparently deeply asleep. What the heck?

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Sora grinned as Jack gently led Kairi over the ice, teaching her to skate since Sora had managed to tweak the World Order magic enough to give her ice skates. He leant back into Riku's hold, happy that so far at least, this first World was so peaceful. Jack had been shocked by what they were, then again his being a Spirit had been a surprise to them. He couldn't imagine going through what Jack had, to be unseen for so long and to be ignored or worse by other Spirits. At least Jack had listened and hadn't jumped to conclusion when he heard what they were.

Sora knew some would and it hurt, but he couldn't blame them. He hoped there would be Worlds out there with vampires who were like him, maybe not in appearance or abilities, but in that they didn't bite people to feed, didn't kill or hurt people for food. He couldn't be the only vampire in existence to not want to hurt people just to eat. Though…drinking from Riku was very very nice but that wasn't for food, that was different. He still wasn't sure why he could drink Riku's blood when he wasn't human anymore but he definitely wasn't complaining.

"Come on," Riku kissed his cheek and then drew him onto the ice, their own boots changing to skates. They had wings to help them stay on their feet at least.

Soon the four of them were laughing and playing happily and Jack's joy was obvious, and contagious.

TBC…

In case you don't read my other fics, the new crossover here is Rise of the Guardians though pre-movie.