Another chapter. Yay! gets stabbed by Ultima weapon And nobody cares. But now readers can help determine the outcome. Like my buddy Rikku, who the bonus chapter will be dedicated to.

I don't own anything. Man I wish I did. Mostly I'd own Zidane. That would be awesome.

In your present state you probably cannot understand.
In any case, the time when we can meet again will doubtless come.

"Here." Riku held out the garment in a manner so stiff that the blue eyed youth had to blink at him a few times while trying to figure it out. Having only just awoken, Sora was entitled to a few moments during which he was easily stupefied. If Sora had known that Riku was actually embarrassed he only would have been more astounded than before. After all Sora was covered, and in his simple mind that was really all that was necessary to maintain decency. "Put this on."

There was a faint tinge of warmth on Riku's otherwise porcelain features, and his amber eyes seemed to take sudden interest in anything at all. Sora did not quite understand that he was the cause of this, nor the fact that Riku had numerous reasons to be reserved. For three years Riku had been alone in the world and he hadn't exactly been a master of social skills from the onset.

But Sora recalled none of this, and only complied. As he made his way to the bathroom to change, he kept looking back at Riku, baffled by this new side to his friend. He surely did not recognize it. When he nearly tripped over himself the boy quickly darted into the little room and closed the door.

Riku sighed and folded his arms. It seemed there were a great many things he'd taken for granted whence he'd lost the ability to register emotion. The amber eyed boy imagined that he never would have been embarrassed like this had he been apathetic as usual. Even Sora had noticed his awkward behavior, and Sora wasn't exactly the most observant boy there was. He didn't even remember what Riku had been like before and was still thrown by it.

Looking as if he were trying on his big brother's clothes, Sora came out in a cloak rather similar to Riku's. This covered all of the other equally oversized garments that Riku had picked to complete the outfit. While Sora had indeed become more adult, he was still proportionally shorter than Riku. Strangely it hadn't been all that obvious until just that moment. The brunette seemed quite pleased that he had donned the apparel, even if he was practically swimming in it.

"Here." Riku strode over to the younger boy and began to tidy Sora's naturally messy job. He didn't realize he was doing so until he found himself with a pair of big blue eyes staring at him. His face gained that tint again and he pulled back quickly, uncertain of how he should proceed now. Wryly, the silver haired boy began to discover the advantages of being stoic.

Sora for his part only beamed at him and then concentrated on finishing making himself as tidy as Riku. For the younger boy this was impossible, but he seemed set on doing it. It was strange to think that only the night before Sora had barely been able to move.

"I'm sorry. I…" Riku fell silent as Sora walked up to him, looking about as meticulous as himself. He blinked, honey colored eyes taking it in with nothing less than stark amazement. Apparently Sora had changed these last three years. The younger boy had never been that tidy. Once more he found the beginnings of a smile on his face. "You know, you're amazing sometimes."

Sora rewarded him with a smile, and of course stood there staring when a long silence ensued.

"Okay, let's go." Riku led the way out the door, replacing his blindfold with a new strip of black cloth as they made their way down the stairs.

He could hear Sora's boots behind him on the wooden steps, almost grimacing as he stepped out into the afternoon light. It was a rare event that Riku might venture out into the sunlit streets. For some reason he'd never been able to stand the light for too long and even after all this time enough of it could make him ill. Riku naturally avoided the weakness.

The streets were littered with puddles, reflecting the sunlight in golden pools. Riku stood there a moment and looked to the sky. There was no evidence of the clouds from the previous night, but there would be more in the evening. He sighed and set off in the direction of a shop. The silver-haired boy was acutely aware of the other boy behind him, although the strange silence was beginning to torment him.

"…So…" What was Riku to say to him? He wasn't sure how to make conversation with Sora in his current condition. Riku had so many questions he wanted to ask yet he knew his friend couldn't answer. Maybe he wouldn't even want to.

There came a tug on his sleeve and Riku nearly jumped. Sora stood beside him, latched to his arm. The town square was harmless in daylight but Sora only knew what he remembered. The night they met there had been heartless everywhere. Unaware of his own power, it was understandable that Sora would react like this. It hadn't even been a full day since they'd been reunited.

"It's alright. During the day this town is peaceful, and I wouldn't let anything happen to you." Riku informed his friend, only to have his notions of Sora's thoughts completely thrown out.

Near Sora stood a familiar man in black. His eyes were a sapphire blue, but even the strangeness of them did not predominate his defining feature. The scar on Leon's face was unmistakable. Not knowing the situation, the swordsman had approached Sora and began talking to him like old times. It seemed that so far the keyblade master only recognized Riku. The blindfolded boy sighed. He would have to explain why Sora was hiding behind him.

"Is something wrong, Sora?" Leon had caught on to the fact that Sora was afraid of him.

Riku sighed tiredly. This could prove to be a long day. "Sora lost his memory. I'm not even sure what he still does know. So far he hasn't spoken one word."

"Nothing at all?" Leon's eyes clouded over. While he wasn't good at expressing himself, his sympathy was clear. He watched Sora for a while longer, and those blue eyes returned his gaze apprehensively. If Yuffie saw him like this, he knew she'd break. Things hadn't been going well since Sora faded away without a trace. The others wouldn't take the news well either.

Leon decided to do things over. Perhaps given time Sora would recover. "I'm Leon. Pleased to meet you." He held out his hand. Likely if he greeted Sora the same way he had when they first met Sora wouldn't take it the same as he had back then. He tried his best to smile cheerfully and found he was out of practice. In spite of this, the brunette warily accepted his greeting and shook his hand.

Sora tried to speak, but the words fought with him and refused to come out. He let go of Riku's arm and stepped behind Leon, examining the wings on the back of his jacket. For some reason Leon was not quite right. The blue-eyed boy continued to inspect, only to face the older man with a puzzled look. He pointed at Leon's neck and awaited a response.

"My necklace? You remember it?" Leon asked, hoping it was true.

Sora gave a nod and gestured as well as if he were swinging a sword.

"That's right. I use a gunblade." This time Leon did manage a faint smile. It seemed the memories were merely dormant. The more of his past that he experienced and reviewed, the more he should remember. The swordsman was glad of it. He couldn't stand the thought of someone so strong being robbed of everything he ever knew.

Sora grinned at his accomplishment. He remembered things about this Leon person.

Riku watched the scene quietly. He was glad that Sora was able to recognize parts of his past when he saw them, but at the same time it left him troubled. Sooner or later Sora was going to remember how Riku had betrayed him, and what then? Surely once he knew he wouldn't be able to forgive the amber-eyed boy. It was only a matter of time before he would be all alone again. His friend would see him for what he really was and would hate him.

He wondered briefly how long he had before he lost his friend again.

"So is this that Riku guy you were searching for back then?" Leon hoped if he asked things related to the present it might jog the keyblade master's memory. "Back at Hollow Bastion?"

Sora looked down at the stone, apparently trying to chain the information. Riku was a confirmed fact but the other pieces were strange. As much as he tried, the memories would only rattle in their cages, failing to break free. He looked back up at Leon and nodded. It must have been the truth.

When Sora turned to look at Riku, hoping he would confirm the information, he found the older boy had simply disappeared.