Beginning Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: SquareEnix and Disney own Kingdom Hearts. I own this story, Mizu and some vicious Muse-bees. No money was made off of this, so if you sue, all you will get is nasty muse-bee stings.

I have another flame! Now Sora and Riku can have a nice romantic fire when I write the "Sora and Riku make out in front of the fireplace scene" for the entertainment of Yaoi-obsessed fan girls! Isn't that great? I will put it in the "Goodies" chapter at the end of this fic. The "Goodies" chapter will include deleted scenes, explanation on the symbolism and of course the characters of the fic having a party celebrating the end of the story.

Sora: Is it my turn yet?

Aoi Nikko: Go ahead, Sora.

Sora: Welcome to chapter seven of "When All Things Come Back To You" This is a giftfic for the brilliant Uzumaki-sama. You should read her wonderful fics pronto!

Aoi Nikko: Read and review this one first please!

Sora: Uzumaki-sama, I salute you! Salutes with Keyblade. Aoi Nikko bops him

Aoi Nikko: Do the warning!

Sora: E-hehehe… This is a YAOI. That means to guys will be engaging in homosexual relations. You might want to leave if this bothers you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, "A COMPLETE 180"!!!

Well, that's that then. There are two stupid people who can't read big bold letters. Don't be the third! Onto the fic! I put a little something extra in here for you! Enjoy, my darling fan girls and boys! Blows many kisses

Chapter Sever, Part One:

Nothing's Like Before…

The great doors of Hollow Bastion's Chapel groan on their hinges as a small brunette pushes past them. He enters into the large, circular room slowly, blue eyes scanning the area. The chapel is pretty much empty with the princesses of heart gone, and his footsteps echo loudly as he walks into the center of the room.

The massive Heartless crest in the back of the room has been removed, the statues replaced with noble looking winged lions. Sora smiles faintly, they remind him of Leon. He glances around again. Other then those few changes, the room looks the same as it did when he was last here.

"I wonder where my friends are…" Sora says aloud, thinking of the King's messengers. He remembered their panic stricken faces when he had vanished right before their eyes. He himself had been pretty scared. It had grown cold and dark and then a dense mist appeared, further blinding him to his surroundings. Afterwards there was a bright light, his Keyblade had been glowing. Shadows swirled around him, and he remembered trying to fight them, but they had no substance to them, at least not until they were ready to hit him. He remembers being forced into a sleep, and oh, how it hurt to fight against it! He gave in long moments after, he was too tired and in too much pain to struggle anymore.

It was then he had forgotten who he was.

Sora shakes the memories away. He didn't want to reflect on it, he knew what happened next. Riku finds him, Riku deceives him…the one person he had trusted above everyone else. This isn't even the worst part, however.

"Why…do I still feel the same?" Sora's voice is wrought with misery and confusion. He collapses down upon the cold floor, leaning back on his hands and staring up at the bright glow coming from the window above.

"So if I get my memories back, I'll lose the ones I have now? The ones I made with you?"

How he wishes he could. Maybe then he wouldn't have to go through the myriad of emotions in his heart, all contradicting one another. He is indeed angry with Riku and a part of him wants nothing more to do with him. However, there is another part of him that believes Riku's claim that he loves Sora, is willing to forgive what he has done.

Sora turns his thoughts away. How could he even think of forgiving Riku? He had done something unthinkable to him. He took advantage of him, deceived him, seduced him, made love to him-

…No, don't even call it that. He had sex with you. There was no meaning behind that at all. None…

Ah, if only that were true. There is no revulsion on Sora's end, no regrets. It is this that disturbs him the most, the fact that what they had done is the most fulfilling thing that has ever happened to him in his life. It had left him feeling whole, complete. Those feelings have not faded, regardless of what he forces himself to think. What has Riku done to him? Sora finds treacherous brain reminiscing on Riku's soft and gentle touches, on how delicately he handled him. He remembers the feel of pale lips upon his own, and Riku's sweet, sweet words…

…Thank you for letting me show you just how much I love you…how close I want to be to you…

Sora slides back, lying on his back on the floor, pushing his fists into his eyes. Dear gods, he loves him. No matter how hard he tries, he cannot deny it. Why did this have to be so hard to deal with? Why?

In the Library, the seven inhabitants of Hollow Bastion listen to their leader, Leon, who sits behind his desk looking at them all with his steel-blue eyes full of apprehension. The six others stand, sit or lean against bookshelves.

"What? Sora's here and I didn't even get to see him? You've gotta be kidding me!"

"You can see him after the meeting, Yuffie." Aerith says gently to the dark haired girl sitting on Leon's desk.

"That's easy for you to say, you've seen him already!" Yuffie huffs, turning away from them all.

"Can we please get back on topic?" Cloud interrupts from behind the bookshelf to Leon's left. "We have a serious matter to discuss."

"Yeah, and how are you supposed to be discussing anything on the other side of the bookshelf, Cloud?" Yuffie snorts, rolling her eyes.

"That's enough, Yuffie. He can hear us and we can here him, and that's enough for me right now." Leon knows why Cloud has distanced himself from the others, and isn't going to press things. The reason is the six-foot tall, silver haired, aqua-eyed man standing close to the door, eyes burning into the bookshelf Cloud is hidden behind. From the bits and pieces of information he has heard, some from Aerith, most from Cloud himself; while the blond was searching for the pink clad mage, he was also running from Sephiroth who pursued him through all the worlds. Things got really bad when Sephiroth ran into him at the tournament in the Coliseum, and that led to strained relations when they all returned to Hollow Bastion. Sephiroth uses every spare moment of his time trying to catch Cloud alone; and Cloud spent all of his time hiding. Aerith is the only one who manages to find him no matter where he goes, and usually keeps that information secret, as per Cloud's wishes.

"You were saying, Leon?" Aerith turns to Leon, trying to help get the meeting back on track.

"As I was saying, Sora is in Hollow Bastion. He says he came from what he believes is a heartless world."

"Humph, if those sons of bitches are still around, that proves my theory on why the Gummi ship still works." Cid says in his usual gruff voice. "Will they be back here, with the keyhole sealed?"

"It's a possibility." Aerith says. "The Heartless kept appearing on worlds long after Sora sealed them."

"Yeah, but that just means they can't travel through the keyholes. How are they getting here?" Yuffie asks, her eyebrows knitting together thoughtfully.

"Are ya a simpleton?" Cid growls, turning on the ninja. "The Heartless have Gummi ships too!" He walks over to Leon's desk. "If they land here, and we can get ahold of their ship, we can improve the one I've been working on."

"And what would the purpose of that be?" A low, quiet voice says from Leon's right. All eyes turned to a man wearing a red coat, one arm out of the sleeve and tucked into the front. "What use to us is leaving this world? Wouldn't that be going against the wishes of that King you all are so fond of?"

Leon quietly considers the words of the red clad Samurai. "That's true, Auron, but there may be some use in a usable Gummi Ship."

"Hmph." is Auron's only reply.

Auron has always been a denizen of Hollow Bastion, however, when they all were forced to leave, no one knew what had happened to him. They dismissed him as one of the unfortunate taken by the heartless, but this was not so. They found him, sitting at the castle gates as if nothing had ever happened when they returned. He never speaks on where he was or what he did; in fact, he hardly ever speaks at all.

"We might be able to use it in case of an emergency and we have to leave again." Aerith suggests, looking at everyone.

"Aw, Aerith, don't jinx us!" Yuffie cries, narrowing her eyes at the mage.

"How about using it to get a look at the other worlds, make sure everything is all right? If we know what's goin' on there, we'll have a good idea on what to do." Cid says thoughtfully.

"There's no use worrying about it until it happens." Came Cloud's voice from behind his bookshelf. Leon glances over at it, hearing the impatience behind the voice. He knows Cloud wants to leave. He can feel the tension between him and Sephiroth even though the two aren't speaking. It made him wonder what happened between them.

"Here's a thought." Comes a voice from near the door.

Everyone turns to the aqua-eyed swordsman in awe. Sephiroth never speaks to anyone except Cloud and on occasion, Aerith, and it was usually hostile. He never participates in meetings, spending the time staring at Cloud. At times, he is even more quiet and anti-social then Auron.

Sephiroth walks over to them, his steps decisive and full of grace. He gazes at them all with a false smile. "Why don't we use it to send that Keyblade master on a one way trip out of here? From what I hear, those Heartless show up wherever he goes, trying to get his heart. If he's not here, there's no problem, right?"

"That's not something we're going to do." Leon says coldly. "Sora fought with us, for us, and I'm not about to treat him like he's trouble."

"Then I think we should all prepare to fight Heartless." Sephiroth turns to go back to the door."

"I think you should do what you normally do; glare from your corner, keep your mouth shut, and let us do the thinking." Cloud moves from behind the bookshelf, glaring at Sephiroth's back.

"Cloud." Leon sighs tiredly, "Don't pick a fight here."

"No, no…let him." Sephiroth purrs, turning to face Cloud. He looks like a pleased kitten at Cloud's stare.

"If you're going to act like babies, maybe you should take a nap." Auron interjects gruffly. "We don't have time for your melodrama. If you can't be serious, then leave."

Cloud lifts his head defiantly, and walked out of the room without another word. Sephiroth moves to follow, but Leon calls him back.

"Alright, we're pretty much done here. Aerith, find all of Ansem's reports, and begin to research the Heartless again. Cid, keep working on that ship. Yuffie, do a quick sweep of the area for Heartless, take Sephiroth with you."

"WHAT? But Leon-"

"IF you run into anything, you might need him. Auron-"

"Don't bother. I know what I need to do." Auron pulls away from the bookshelf he is leaning on and walks away. Yuffie rolls her eyes. Leon sighs and stands up, getting everyone's attention.

"I'm going to help Aerith. We'll have another meeting tomorrow morning with Sora. We'll decide what to do then. Dismissed!"

Everyone files out of the library to start his or her assigned tasks, Sephiroth shooting the leather clad man an angry glare as he leaves with Yuffie. Leon and Aerith stay behind. The Library is the best place for research after all.

"It might have been better to have Auron go with Yuffie." Aerith looks over at a weary Leon.

"And let him stalk Cloud and start another fight with him? I don't think so."

"We won't be able to protect Cloud from him forever, you know."

"I know. But, I will continue to help him until he's ready to deal with it himself. Aren't you?" Leon stands up to go downstairs with Aerith.

"Of course." Aerith sighs. "Of course."

"Then let's stop worrying about it for now and get this work out of the way."

Cloud wanders aimlessly through the lifts of Hollow Bastion, looking for a place to be alone. He shouldn't have said anything like that at the meeting, shouldn't have left like he did. Sephiroth just irritates him sometimes. To even think about sending Sora off like that… it makes Cloud very angry.

Sora reminds him of himself, the way he used to be before the heartless came and destroyed everything. The look in his eyes, the feelings hidden there, remind him of what he went through while he was looking for his light, and running from his darkness. At one point, though, he had started running from his light and looking for his darkness, confusing one for the other. It had caused him much pain and anguish, especially when he realized he was wrong. The darkness he had run to was not willing to let him go, and it still isn't. If not for Aerith and Leon he wouldn't know what to do. Eventually he will have to deal with it, he knows, but he isn't ready. Not yet.

After a long while of wandering, he finds himself in the Chapel. He and Leon have used up a lot of nervous energy in here, ripping out all reminders of when Ansem lived here, and replacing things to make it look more like their home. It is going slowly, but the pace is just fine for him and Leon. Cloud walks in slowly, looking around and stopping short when he notices someone is there before him.

Sora is sprawled on the floor, his arms out to the side, staring up at the skylight, eyes expressionless. Cloud walks over and looked up at the skylight as well for a while.

"Y'know, no matter how long you stare at it, it never goes anywhere or does anything." Cloud says softly, teasingly. Sora's eyes flick over at Cloud for a second, and then he sits up. Cloud looks down at him.

"You look like you could use some company."

"So do you." Sora quietly replies.

Cloud smiles and lets out a breath. "I guess I do."

Sora scoots over a little, an invitation for Cloud to sit next to him. Cloud did so, resting his arms on his knees. They stare at nothing for quite a while before Sora breaks the silence.

"Did you ever find it?"

Cloud looks over at Sora. "Find what?" He looks up at the skylight again. "You mean my light?" Sora nods once. "Yes."

"That's good." Sora gazes up at the skylight. "At least one of us did."

Is that what is bothering Sora? Disappointment? No, it has to be much deeper then that.

"You didn't find yours?"

"No." Sora is silent for a while before adding, "I thought I did, but it was only darkness…"

"Sounds like a good portion of my journey." Cloud murmurs without really meaning to. Sora turns his head to gape at him.

"What do you mean?"

Cloud drops his eyes to the floor. "I spent most of my time looking for my light. I wandered through the worlds, searching, and at some point, I'm not sure how, I ended up lost in the darkness."

Cloud pauses for a moment, continuing to stare at the floor. "I was running too, Sora. Running from a person that brought things out in me that frightened me." Cloud takes a breath and shakes his head. "Running only brought me right to them, and I had almost forgotten what it was I was looking for. I had almost forgotten that I hadn't found it yet. I realized what I was dong and it really messed up my head, I made some stupid decisions. It was at that point in my life I met you."

"Yeah, I remember." Sora says.

"The fight with you didn't sit well with me, I realized I was going about things the wrong way. I had a choice to make."

"Choice?"

"Light or darkness. It may seem a simple choice, but it really isn't. After all, we aren't talking about good and evil." Cloud glances at Sora's confused expression. "Darkness does not necessarily mean evil, Sora."

"What are you talking about?"

"You've met them, haven't you? There are two kinds of heartless that don't hurt anyone. They don't even steal hearts. What do you suppose that means? Sure all the others do, but if the Darkness is evil, why do these few types exist?"

"I…never thought about it…"

"I didn't either, for a long time. In the light, all the worlds are separated. When they were connected to the darkness, they were also connected to each other. It is because of this that you got the chance to meet so many people and see so many things. When this is all over and the Darkness driven away, everything will be separated and you will never see the friends you made on the other worlds ever again."

"I see what you mean. Light and Darkness both have their good and bad points."

"It's just how you use the powers that are given to you. It doesn't matter where they come from, only how they are used. When I discovered that, it made my choice that much harder."

"So which did you choose?"

"I didn't." Cloud's voice can barely be heard. "I'm still running…from both of them. I'm afraid that when I do…I'll find out what my own heart is made of…I'm not ready to know yet. I don't think I'm strong or wise enough to be able to deal with either of them right now."

"You'll figure it out soon, Cloud. You're much stronger and wiser then you think you are. I'm sure of it."

"That's good of you to say." Cloud smiles. "You have a good heart, Sora. You should protect it, and keep it from becoming bitter, like I did. Something is bothering you, kid. Want to talk about it?"

Sora looks away. "It's…not easy to talk about…"

"It's okay. You're not ready." Cloud stands. "When you are, I'll be there to listen. It's important to have someone who will listen. Leon taught me that."

"Leon?!"

"He may act cold, but he's actually a very nice guy. Helped me through a lot of mess Aerith couldn't. He understands a lot more then you think." As he turns to go, he says, "He'd be a good person to go to as well. When you're ready, Sora. Only when you're ready."

Sora turns to watch Cloud go, getting to his feet and walking over to the alter. Something sets his senses on alert, and he turns swiftly, Keyblades appearing in his hands as he does so. The gold Keyblade takes on the Oathkeeper key chain, but the other grows much larger, gold in color and looking like lace. It is the most powerful form his Keyblade could take, the Ultimate Weapon. It whirs through the air, striking its target as it leaps at Sora, cutting it down with one stroke, a single pink heart vanishing into the air.

Heartless.

There are a couple more behind him, but they scurry off through the door off to Sora's left. Eyes narrowing, Sora follows them. They are heading toward the Keyhole. Sora knows he had locked it, but the heartless also know that, and they still are headed that way. Whatever they want, it can't be good, but Sora is going to stop them.

Chapter Sever, Part Two:

Hikari (Mizu's POV)

Yes, come to me…

Mizu stands in the dark depths of Hollow Bastion's Keyhole. The dark Keyblade in his hand has allowed him past the seal, just as he knew it would. He can tell Sora is coming. He is ready and waiting.

Hurry, I want my own will…

As he had said, Mizu has no will of his own. The best he can do is manipulate the two directives his creators have set for him, the desires in their hearts at the time of his creation.

Eliminate the Keyblade master…

Bring Sora close…

The two conflicting commands have driven Mizu insane, but that insanity brought something akin to sentient thought. However, it isn't enough.

"Just an illusion…a fantasy…" Mizu murmurs. "But the charade ends this day…it will end once the Key reaches this place…once he finally ceases his foolish struggling and gives in to the darkness…gives in to me."

Dark shadows appear near the Keyhole, unable to enter. Mizu doesn't turn, but he knows that they are there.

"Has he followed you?" The shadows say nothing but they dance around as if answering in the affirmative. Mizu smiles. "Good. You may destroy the rest." The shadows leave just as the sound of footsteps reach Mizu's ears.

He has come…

Mizu lifts his head, the dark Keyblade pointed to the floor, waiting. His smile widens when he hears someone enter the Keyhole. He can feel them…the other Keyblades. He is here. The Key has arrived.

"Riku? What are you…? Are you behind the Heartless here?"

Ah, so angry he sounds, so demanding…hmmm…to use Riku's voice…or not? Mizu chooses to remain silent, waiting. The Key must believe he is Riku due to the Keyblade he carries. He'll know the truth soon enough.

Sora stepped closer. "Riku, answer me. What are you doing?"

"Ah, but I am not Riku." Mizu turns slowly, his amber eyes dancing with a wicked delight.

"Mizu!" Sora hisses, readying his Keyblades. The boy Heartless laughs.

"I know what you are wondering…how is it I have this Keyblade? What happened to Riku?" Mizu's expression grows downright sinister. "What do you care? Don't you hate him now?"

A thousand expressions cross Sora's face, and he asks in a fearful voice, "What did you do to him!?"

"I left him with his crumbling heart, with his self destructive soul."

Mizu smiles as utter horror appears on Sora's face. "You monster! I'll kill you!"

"If you suppose you must." Mizu says smoothly. "However, even with two Keyblades, you are no match for me. Cease this foolery, and come to me. You have a greater destiny, and I will have you see it through."

"What are you talking about? I don't even think you know." Sora points Oathkeeper at Mizu. "I'm going to put you down before you can hurt anyone else!"

"Then come try, if you are not afraid." Mizu is well prepared for Sora's charge, prepared for Sora's rage blinded swings. No, this would not do. Mizu spins, arms out to the side and begins his own attack, his movements as graceful and precise as a professional fencer. He easily knocks the Oathkeeper away, and he smiles at Sora from over his Keyblade.

"You will never defeat me this way. Where is that strength you had that night under the stars? The night I held you close and almost had you to myself? Show it to me, Keyblade master. I must know if it was real." He sees Sora's eyes brighten with purpose. Yes, much better. This is the way he must be. Mizu beckons to Sora with his Keyblade, and Sora attacks, his movements more controlled. He seems stronger too, but somehow it isn't enough.

"Your Keyblade alone is not enough to dispel this darkness." Mizu taunts, even as Sora's strikes become more powerful. Mizu backs Sora up to what would be the wall, bringing his Keyblade down to split Sora's skull. Sora brings his Keyblade up and blocks, struggling against Mizu's sheer strength. Mizu presses closer, leaning over their crossed blades to softly whisper,

"Shine for me, little light."

Mizu nips Sora's ear sharply, and he feels the Keyblade master shudder.

"Get off!" With a burst of unseen power, Sora throws Mizu back. Mizu stumbles and smiles, bringing his Keyblade up to defend an attack. Yes, this is what he is waiting for. This is what he wants…

Sora attacks again, and Mizu finds himself on the defensive, but he continues to smile at Sora as if the most wonderful thing is happening to him. The Ultimate Weapon seems to glow, and that glow grew stronger with each strike.

Yes…almost there…so close…

Sora slices horizontally, and sends Mizu's Keyblade flying. The glowing Keyblade in his hand is leveled to his chest. Mizu's breath is heavy, but he continues to smile.

"You…will never defeat me this way, Key. Your light is not strong enough. It is not strong enough to defeat the darkness…"

Sora eyes Mizu defiantly, his blue eyes full of determination. The Keyblade illuminates the entire room with the light of its master's heart, and Mizu shields his face.

Almost…just one more nudge…

"Impressive, but the powers of Darkness are much stronger!" It takes all of Mizu's power to stand and face the incredible light coming from Sora. He calls the dark Keyblade to him and leaps at the Keyblade master with one final, desperate strike. Sora's eyes gaze at him calmly as he swings his Keyblade to meet Mizu's strike.

The light brightens one last time and everything is enveloped in an explosion of golden light.

Chapter Seven, Part Three:

Unmei Wasurete Ikite Kita No Ni

Hollow Bastion is in chaos.

Without warning the small band of inhabitants are completely taken by surprise, even though they are expecting an attack. The first thing attacked is the library, Darkball heartless teleporting in a flash of light and dark energy. Aerith drops the books she is holding in surprise, and they scatter about the floor.

"Leon!" She cries down to where Leon is researching.

"I see them." Leon replies evenly. "My gunblade is up there with you. Can you toss it down to me?"

Aerith spots the gunblade close to the door on the floor she is on. Between them are eight Darkball heartless. Aerith takes a breath.

"I'm on it." She rushes forward, dodging the first Darkball who tries to fly into her. Another begins to bounce around randomly, and Aerith falls to the floor trying to avoid it. She rolls to the side to avoid the first Darkball's bite, and climbs quickly to her feet.

"Okay, no more miss nice mage!" Aerith raises a hand, a dark energy crushing the first Darkball to the floor. Aerith steps over him and keeps going, releasing a round of five high-level fire spells at the second. It explodes into a bunch of green balls that Aerith kicks over the side to Leon, in case the unarmed gunblade wielder needs them. She dodges the next few Darkballs whose random bouncing attack took out two other Darkballs that were trying to rush Aerith. The green-eyed girl smiles.

"Thank you!" She says as she slips past the last two and grabs the gunblade.

"Aerith!"

"I'm coming down!" She looks over the rail to see where Leon is. "Catch me!" She calls down to him, as he is just below her. She jumps over the rail escaping the perturbed Heartless trying to stop her, and into Leon's waiting arms. He puts her down and takes his gunblade, nodding to her. Aerith raises her hands once more.

"Stop!" She commands, and the Heartless surrounding them have no choice but to comply with her wishes, her spell freezing them still. Leon flies through them slicing through them easily, and when the spell wore off they jerked around as if being hit and then vanished. Aerith takes a deep breath, then releases it slowly.

"Here." Leon tosses her an Ether, the stop spell took a lot out of Aerith to cast, and she didn't like to use it often because it usually left her defenseless. Aerith drinks the bitter liquid nodding her thanks to Leon.

"We had better find the others." She says worriedly.

"Starting with Cloud." Leon turns to the door. "He's the only one without a partner right now."

"But what about Sora and Auron?" Aerith asks, following him.

"Sora has the Keyblade. Auron is most likely near an ally. Cloud is alone and doesn't have the Keyblade. Let's go."

Aerith frowns at the seemingly cold comment, but she knows Leon is right. Sora was chosen to fight the Heartless; the Keyblade will ultimately protect him. Cloud is most likely alone and unsuspecting of what is going on, and he is still recovering from his time in the darkness. Auron might be near enough to help him, but that isn't enough to make her want to risk it.

"Please let Cloud be okay…"

Yuffie let out a huge yawn. "This is so lame!" She grumbles. "Stuck patrolling with the king psycho of all psychos…who'd I piss off today?"

"I was wondering the same thing." Sephiroth says as he passes by her. "However it looks as though you won't be bored very soon…" The silver haired swordsman smiles and places a cool hand on the hilt of his sword.

"What are you…?" Yuffie begins, but cut herself off as a Wyvern Heartless swoops in for an attack. "Heartless!" She pulls out her giant shuriken, sending it spinning into a Wyvern that came down behind her.

Sephiroth unsheathes his sword, the very action slicing a nearby Heartless in two. He takes a step forward and is surrounded by four heartless at once. Sephiroth eyes them coolly. "I don't have time for this." Two swipes in different directions dispatch them all. "I have something more important to do."

Yuffie's eyes widen. "He's doing this with no effort at all! Just how strong is he?!" She watches as he begins to walk off. "HEY! Where are you going?! There are still Heartless here!" She spits a curse as he ignores her. "Damn him! Leaving me here alone…" She lets her shuriken fly again, sending smaller ones to drive back the Heartless that are nearby. A large Katana slices through a Heartless at Yuffie's back.

"Auron!"

"I knew he would do something like this. Unreliable fool." Auron lifts his sword to rest on his shoulder and beckons to a Heartless. When it foolishly goes near it is neatly dispatched.

"Where does he think he's going?!" Yuffie growls.

"To find his obsession, of course. That's why I came here to find you, I knew he was going to leave and find him."

"Cloud…" Yuffie says softly, looking to where the dangerous swordsman has vanished. "He's going to do more harm then good…"

"I don't think so." Auron says, focusing on his battle. "Not in a situation like this."

"And damn you if my instincts aren't right about this, Sephiroth…"

Riku stumbles out of the shadows and into the Great Crest area, trying desperately to catch his breath. He doesn't have time to suffer the symptoms of traveling without a Gummi ship. He has to find Sora. A Heartless rises from the floor and dances over to him, thinking him an easy victim.

That is a mistake.

Dark power twists around in his hands and a wicked blade appears, looking much like a dragon's wing. When the Heartless comes close Riku leaps forward with a horizontal swing.

"Get…out …of my way." The Heartless vanishes, and Riku slumps against a wall, holding his chest and gasping. He can't stop here. Sora is in danger.

"Impressive."

Riku swirls around, sword ready to slice down this new foe…

…and stares into a pair of eyes identical to his own.

The man standing opposite him stares back, just as stunned as he is. Riku pushes off the wall, pointing his sword.

"Is this some sick joke?" This man could very well be him in ten years.

"If it is, I don't find it funny." The man eyes his sword. "Are you a Heartless?"

"Not likely." Riku says, a little more at ease. "Are you?" The man snorts as if insulted. Riku decides to take that as a no. He lowers his sword, slumping back against the wall.

"You don't look too good." The other man remarks, lifting an eyebrow.

"I'll be fine in a minute." Riku says, but he pushes off the wall again. "Unfortunately a minute is far too much time for me to spare. I've got to find Sora…"

"Sora?" The man frowns for a moment. "Ah, the Keyblade Master."

"Do you know where he is?" Riku asks, looking up at the man hopefully. To his disappointment, the man shakes his head.

"I'm afraid not. I'm looking for someone myself…" The man gazes at Riku's expression with inquisitive eyes. He stares for a long moment, then slowly nods in approval. "I see…"

"See what?"

The man begins to step past him. "I hope you find your Keyblade master…"

"My name's Riku." The teen offers.

"Sephiroth." The man with the long white hair says. "Try searching the Keyhole. That might be the most logical place where he could be. I'm heading that way if you want to come with me." The words were stiff, as if he isn't used to saying them.

"I remember where it is." Riku nods, following Sephiroth as he went through a nearby doorway. "But I could use some help with Heartless."

Sephiroth makes a small, amused sound. "I suppose you could." He says nothing else, and the two continue in silence. The whole time Riku never has to draw his sword, the moment any Heartless appears, Sephiroth would slay them immediately. Riku doesn't mind, it allows him to recover from traveling to Hollow Bastion by using the darkness.

They reach the castle chapel, and it is infested by Angel Star heartless. It is these heartless that intrigue Riku the most, they are born of holy magic, and yet their main purpose is that of evil. Their powers are the powers of light, yet they use them for evil. Angel Stars will steal your heart just as the other Heartless will. Riku smiles.

Kind of like him, only opposite.

In the middle of the room a blond man is fighting alone, his massive sword slicing easily through the surrounding Angel Stars. They back off to regroup for an attack, and their combined holy spells does a great deal of damage to him. Riku moves to help, but he is stopped by Sephiroth's powerful arm. He looks up in irritation, and he sees an expression on the aqua-eyed man's face that he recognizes very well.

"Cloud…" Sephiroth says, his voice caught between a whisper and a sigh.

"This is who you are looking for?" Riku demands. "Why are we staying back here?! We should help him, those Heartless are dealing him as much damage as he is doing to them!"

"Stay here if you want to continue living."

Riku watches awestruck as Sephiroth saunters into the room as if he is some sort of god, ignoring the Heartless completely. Cloud turns, his eyes a strange blend of anger, relief and fear. Sephiroth reaches out a hand and pulls the blond to his chest by the back of his head. Cloud struggles, but Sephiroth's grip is far too strong. The silver haired swordsman leans down to whisper something into Cloud's ear, something that made the blond cease his struggling, mako-bright eyes wide. Sephiroth looks back up to the Heartless trying to attack him.

"Die."

The room is filled with a dark power, and Riku watches, completely enthralled. He is suddenly very glad he is not standing inside the room. When he looks again, the room is empty with the exception of Sephiroth and Cloud. Riku steps cautiously into the room, and Sephiroth turns his head to look at him.

"I have what I am looking for. This is where we part ways." He turns his head as Cloud pushes away, and he lets him go. The blond glares at them both and turns to leave. Sephiroth follows after him, pausing at the door.

"Good luck finding your light."

Riku stares back at the door. How did he…?

It didn't matter. Sora could be in danger. Riku charges through the door on the right to reach the room with the Keyhole. He could worry about it later.

The race to the Keyhole is a blur, Riku is traveling at top speed even with the Heartless appearing to stop him. They are either ignored or destroyed as Riku runs past. He has no time to deal with peons.

The room belonging to the Keyhole is brightly lit. As Riku hurries toward the Keyhole, he notices that the light is coming from the Keyhole. It is warm and familiar, and Riku relaxes, knowing it as Sora's light. It must mean that the Keyblade master has triumphed, if it is glowing so brightly. Riku steps toward the Keyhole as the light begins to fade, mind working on what to say to Sora, how he would begin to make things right between them.

He is totally unprepared for what he sees inside the Keyhole.

Mizu is standing with his back toward the entrance; clothing tattered and looking quite beat up. Trying to stumble away is Sora, his whole body aglow with a warm golden light. He clutches his chest with his right hand, the golden Keyblade down on the ground, and him trying to keep Mizu at bay with the other.

To his horror, Mizu is able to easily knock the Keyblade aside and pull Sora into his arms, his voice a soft purr as he murmurs to him. Riku tries to rush inside, but there is a powerful barrier blocking his way. He screams Sora's name, and the boy looks at him with very wide, confused and frightened eyes from over Mizu's shoulder.

"Riku-!"

Mizu glances back at him, a slow, eerie smile crossing his face before turning back to Sora. He whispers a few more things to Sora, whose eyes never leave Riku's. Riku catches an expression in them he did not expect to ever see again, and then there was a bright flash, a cry from Sora, and the Heartless boy pulls him into himself, absorbing both the Keyblade master and his light. Riku pushes against the barrier again as Mizu turns to face him, a smile of complete bliss lighting upon his features. Chest heaving anguish, Riku's scream cuts through the many areas of Hollow Bastion, a raw, ear-shattering cry of one who learns what actual despair truly is.

"SORA!"

Author's Nonsense:

Well, we have reached the end of Chapter Seven at last! I couldn't be lazy with this chapter. It was a lot of work; do you know how long this chapter is? Seventeen pages!

Did you like the little gift I put in here, i.e. Mizu's POV? He gets one more, in the next chapter. Would you like to know the translation for part three? Sure!

Unmei Wasurete Ikite Kita No Ni

Destiny forgotten, even though I kept going

So there you have it. Next chapter is the beginning of the end. I wonder if Riku will be able to save Sora? CAN Sora even be saved or is he lost forever? How will the insanely powerful Mizu be defeated? What in the hell actually happened in this chapter? Well, you have to wait three more chapters to find out…just kidding. I'm such a goof.

Mood Music: T M Revolution's Coordinate CD. All Hail the RL Bishonen gods, Hyde, Gackt and Takanori! I also think Yura from Psyco le Cemu is hot. It's the white hair and those old fashioned Japanese eyes. I'm a sucker for white hair, just look at how much I love Riku and Sephiroth!

Okay, it's your turn now. Review! Let me know you like it, or Kairi will get Sora! I'm going now. See you soon!

Ciao!