Silver Haired Savior

Training

Date Started: 6/18/05

Date Finished: 6/21/05

Riku: Say it!

Riku's-Kitsune-Mate: (sinking in quicksand) Do I have to?

Riku: Yes! Otherwise I won't throw you the rope!

Riku's-Kitsune-Mate: Oh fine! I don't own Kingdom Hearts! Happy?

Riku: Yes. (starts walking away, an evil smirk on his face)

Riku's-Kitsune-Mate: Hey you're not just gonna leave me here, are you? (Riku still ignores her) Why you lousy piece of – (sinks under quicksand, not to be heard again until …)

Sora: Are you okay? Hello? (prods an unconscious girl with a stick)

Riku's-Kitsune-Mate: (wakes up) I don't own Kingdom Hearts! I don't own Kingdom Hearts! (gets up, starts bouncing around and starts yelling random things) Peanut Butter! Noodle! Mr. Chisely! (You wouldn't get that one unless you went to my school)

Sora: (smacks her on the head, knocking her out) Well, while we wait for her to wake up, read this chapter that she wrote!

Author's Ranting:
Wow! I didn't expect so much feedback for just one chapter. I got so many reviews and it made me feel so special. So all of the following people get Riku plushies and the chapter dedicated to them because they left reviews: Rampaging Sorrow, Sunshine Pie, AnimeDutchess, sweetthangpaige, MoonMagician, DieChan, Sai-ryo Aura Feana, Muffy, and Darkwitch17. So, as I promised, I will continue for awhile. I have some ideas to keep this story going, but if you have any ideas, please share them with me! If you didn't notice, I changed my penname! So, get ready to read, ready … set … go!

Heavy T rating on this chapter! You have been warned!

The Afternoon after Sora left:

Sora had traveled for awhile, finally arriving at what seemed to be an alley. But to Sora's trained eye, it was much more. He walked over to a sewer entrance and pried it open using a crowbar hidden behind a dumpster. He jumped inside, and used a flashlight to see. Yup, here it was, the hidden tunnel used by both ninjas and thieves alike, to go to the hidden training grounds of the Ninja Knight. He remembered Yuffie telling him about this place, about how many traveled this way to only come to a dead end.

"But," he recalled Yuffie saying, "The real trick is how you look at it. To the simple minded, this place seems like a dead end. But you must look at it from a ninja's point of view. Ninja/thief rule number one: There is never a dead end to a master. Look around at your surroundings, try to find an alternate route."

Sora walked in silence for awhile, reminiscing about the good old days, when he was with Yuffie. He was never hunted then, because she always protected him, with grace of a cat. He always wondered how she got so good, and one day, she told him a story of a Ninja Knight, that lived far up in the mountains, away from the distractions of the city life. He would teach anyone with a pure heart, granted that you could reach him in the mountains.

Sora finally found the end of the tunnel, and he saw no exit. So, he did the only logical thing that he could do. He looked down, and saw no doors. Then he looked up, and there was another sewer entrance. He pushed it open, revealing fresh air and the outside. He climbed out, and resealed the exit, carefully watching it blend into the earth. He stood up, and realized that he seemed to be in an enclosure, made entirely of stone.

Slowly turning around, he saw a giant mountain. 'Well looks like I've arrived,' Sora thought as he looked around for a trail. Not finding any, he looked at the steepness of the mountain, and concluded that he couldn't climb it just by walking.

"Okay, Sora, rules number two and three! If it looks too difficult, find a shortcut! Also, always use your surroundings! Master these two steps and you'll be great Ninja Knight in no time!"

'Alright, I just have to find a shortcut,' Sora concluded, looking around. He found a steep wall, and he walked over to it. "Look for a way to use your surroundings. He turned around and found a rope, but that's no good. He continued searching, and he eventually came upon a hook. 'It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together,' thought Sora as he picked up the hook. He went back and got the rope. He took the rope and tied the hook onto it, then went back to the steep wall.

He swung the hook above his head, and threw at it at the wall. It caught on, and he pulled on it a couple of times to make sure that it would hold his weight, he slowly started climbing it, careful about his wounds, and he looked around. By now he was half way, then suddenly he felt the rope starting to creak, and he could tell that it wouldn't hold his weight much longer. Sora looked over at the wall and saw some hand and foot holds that could be used to lift him up the cliff. Sticking out a hand, he reached for the path way up the cliff, but was distraught to find that he couldn't reach. He felt the rope, creak again, a made a fast decision.

Sora wrapped the rope around his legs tightly and gently started to swing the rope back and forth, trying to gain speed. He started gaining speed and soon reached a point that he could just barely reach the first hand hold. But the rope was about to snap, so in one mighty leap, he jumped to the first hand hold, barely reaching it, as he slammed into the wall.

Holding on with all his strength, he turned his head and watched the hook and rope tumble to the ground and land in a big heap. He gulped, and slowly started his ascent up the cliff.

Riku awoke around noon, much later than he usually does, still exhausted from the night before. He lay in bed, with his eyes shut, but to him, it felt like something was missing. He felt around in the bed next to him, and he realized that there was a scent missing from the apartment. He sat up, and looked in his bed. Sora wasn't next to him, and Riku started to panic. He jumped out of bed, and put on a shirt, then ran frantically through the apartment, looking for Sora. He was about to leave the apartment when he saw the note on the door. Pulling it down, he read what was written, and turned a pale color underneath his tan.

Dear Riku,

By the time you get this note, I will already be gone. Don't worry about me, although that is a silly thing to say, seeing as how you are probably a nervous wreck already. Don't try to find me, I've chosen a path too hard and dangerous for you to follow. I do not know if I will make it back alive, or even if I will make it back at all. It would do better if you try to forget me; I am only a burden to you. I thank you very much for all that you have done for me, I will never forget you, but I realize that my destiny is to defeat Ansem on my own, or not at all. If I stay, you will get hurt, and if that happened, I would never be able to forgive myself that you risked your life for a worthless, homeless orphan. Goodbye, Riku. I will never forget you or the kindness that you have shown me. And even if my mind forgets, my heart never will.

Yours Truly,

Sora

Riku read and reread the letter, and fell down on the ground in a sobbing heap. "No, Sora. I didn't want you to leave," Riku cried. "Why did you leave, why? You weren't just a worthless, homeless orphan to me. You were my muse, my other half. Why did you leave?" Riku whimpered. He crawled to the couch, because it still had Sora's scent, and that was good enough for him.

Sora had finally reached the top of the cliff, and had lain down to catch his breath. He had just barely caught his breath, when he saw a shuriken land mere inches from his face. He immediately jumped up, and started running, when two more shuriken landed right where he used to be. He found a block of wood, and used it to block the next to that came at him. Then he heard a ferocious battle cry, and he saw a giant figure coming from the top of a cliff at him.

When it landed, he jumped out of the way as the man swung at him. He was wearing a red cloak and his left arm seemed to be limp. He had a giant sword, and a giant belt, off which hung a giant water jug. He had a black shirt with a giant collar, and to top it off, a pair of black sunglasses.

He swung at him again, and Sora barely held him off with the wooden block. He knew that if it got hit one more time, it would snap, which is exactly happened when it was struck a second time, the force sending Sora into the closest tree. And as the man advanced, Sora thought it was the end. The man raised his sword, and Sora shut his eyes, waiting for the strike that would kill him.

Except … it never came. He heard a loud clanking of metal, and a girl's voice that seemed suspiciously familiar … Sora cracked his eyes open slowly, and was surprised to see a young teenage girl with coal black hair in a ninja outfit, holding off the man in front of her. She seemed to be yelling at him, and he just gave her a look that seemed to say 'Ya, okay I'm sorry. Now get over it!'

" … And furthermore, I can't believe you tried to kill him! He's injured! What if he had been a new student! Besides, I told you he would be coming one of these days! He is a smart kid!" Yuffie yelled at the man, who looked back at her nonchalantly.

"Yeah, yeah, Yuffie, I get it. I said sorry already, now would you forget it!" he said back to the fuming girl.

'Wow,' Sora thought as he looked at Yuffie, wholooked about ready to blow a blood vessel. 'I guess I really don't want to get her mad, now do I.'

"Well, come on Sora. You're lucky that old bear didn't catch you completely off guard, otherwise you would be shreds by now!" Yuffie said as she helped Sora to his feet.

"No, kidding!" Sora said as he surveyed the man at a safe distance. "I can't believe you have the nerve to yell at him like that."

"Oh, that old grump isn't so bad once you get to know him," she said, regaining her usual carefree manner.

"Is he the training master you told me about? Even with all of the training you put me through, he still almost killed me!"

"Yup, that's him! His name is Auron. Called the Ninja Knight by those who don't know him very well."

"Wow!" Sora said in wonderment as he looked at Auron, who was coming over.

"So, you're Sora," he said in a bored voice. "Are you the one I've heard so many stories about from Yuffie?"

"Um… I guess," Sora said, a little nervous about talking to the man who almost slaughtered him mere minutes ago.

"Hmm," was all he said as he turned around and left.

"Oh, dad! You don't have to be so rude!" Yuffie yelled after him.

"Hold it. Did you just say 'dad'! He's your father!" Sora exclaimed in a shocked voice.

"Oops. Did I forget to mention that? Sorry. Well, anyways what are you doing here? I know it isn't because you are trying to get yourself killed. Living with Riku couldn't have been that bad," she said with a grin.

Sora winced as hearing Riku's name stirred up emotions in his body, making him feel guilt, happiness, sadness, and another emotion that he was afraid to name. "Uh … not quite. You remember that story I told you about a couple of weeks back before you left?" Sora asked. The girl nodded in response, so he continued. "Well, somehow he's tracked me here, to the islands. So what I really need is for your father to train me on how to fight, so I can protect myself and others," Sora said, reluctant to say who the 'others' were.

"Okies!" Yuffie said as she put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Everything is going to be all right. I'll make sure that he trains you, if it's the last thing I do!"

"Okay, thanks Yuffie!" Sora said, attempting a grin.

"Well, we better go before that old bat gets too far ahead of us! Hey, dad! Wait up!" Yuffie shouted as she ran up to him, Sora in tow.

That Night:

Riku hadn't moved from the couch all day, he just sat there, wallowing in self-pity. He was still very upset that Sora had left, although 'very upset' might be the understatement of the year. He hadn't gotten up when the mail came, or when he had started feeling hungry. He just sat there, feeling sorry for himself. He had read and reread that letter almost a hundred times, searching for a hidden meaning, anything to tell him where his little angel had gone.

It was almost midnight when he heard a pounding on the door. He waited for it to stop, and for the person to give up, but when it didn't stop, he concluded that he would have to answer the door. Slowly getting up, he shuffled towards the door, taking his own precious time. He finally got there, and by then the banging had gotten louder. He opened the door, only to have himself smacked on the head by whoever was there.

Riku was on the ground, when he heard a familiar voice say, "Whoops, sorry Riku, didn't actually think you were going to just open the door without so much as a yell."

Riku made no effort to get up, just lay there and said in a monotonous voice, "What do you want, Leon?"

"Hey, Riku. Are you okay? I heard that you might be kind of bummed. I wanted to know if you and Sora would come over and help me finish Cloud's birthday present. I also wanted to apologize to Sora for beating him up. Take my word for it; never accept a drink from Cid when he's been experimenting. Geez, dude. What's with you?"

"No, Sora isn't here. Bye, and don't forget to shut the door on your way out," Riku said, still not making any effort to get up.

"Riku, I've never seen you this depressed. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen you depressed. What happened?" Leon asked with concern. Still not getting any response from Riku, he picked him up and set him on the couch. Riku didn't protest, nor did he even care. He only sat there, staring into space. Noticing the letter, Leon picked it up and read its contents. He smiled smugly and said, "I think I know what your problem is."

"Well of course that's my problem! Sora's probably off getting his sweet innocence stolen off of him by that monster, and soon he will be lying in a gutter, dead!" Riku exploded, his young body shaking with anger. "And I can't do anything about it!"

"First of all, Sora's not going to be defeated by that big old wyvern. He's too stubborn to die. If you've ever seen him in action, you would know that. Second, I know for a fact that he isn't dead. I was just talking to Yuffie, and I think I know exactly where he is."

Riku jumped at this, and clung to Leon like he was a floatie out in the middle of a hurricane. "You know where Sora is! Where is he? Is he okay? Can I visit him? Will you take me to him? Please!" Riku asked, hope and need in once distant and vacant eyes.

"Maybe. I have to find out from Cloud, first. Then I have to ask permission from Yuffie, of course, if he's where I think he is. He is her assistant and Sora is probably staying at her house."

"Yuffie's house? I know exactly where that is!" Riku said springing up.

"Umm, not that house. Her really old home, the home where she grew up."

"But why-,"

"It's Yuffie's decision, not mine. Don't ask me."

"Fine," Riku said as he flopped down on the couch. "But I'm going with you to see Cloud. If he knows where Sora is, then I want to be the first to know."

"I don't think that Cloud will appreciate that," Leon said.

"I don't care. If he knows where Sora is, I'm coming! That's that!"

Considering for a moment, Leon finally said, "Fine, but you're driving!"

Sora had finally arrived at the training grounds of the Ninja Knight. It was quite a site to behold, if you had never seen it before. It was a rather large training dojo, and there was a lot of natural scenery around it. It had a huge waterfall around back, and trees everywhere. Sora entered the large stone dojo, leaving his shoes outside, and immediately, Auron took him to a little room where a lady was sitting, bent over some papers.

She was wearing a floor length black dress that revealed her snow white shoulders. The skirt had lots of straps around the front and it had a fur trimming around the top around her shoulders. She had long dark black hair, which she kept up in pins. She wore many necklaces, and on the desk next to her was a small doll. The doll was a tan color, with a large red nose, a red pom-pom, and to small purple wings on the back.

"Hey, Lulu. I need you to fix this kid up. He still has injuries from wherever he was before he came."

"Fine, but this had better not take long. I Yuffie and I have to go visit some friends of ours. Come on, boy," Lulu said, not looking up from her papers.

"Okay, but when you finish, bring Sora to the training room. I need to see what he can do, since Yuffie, is making me train him," Auron said as he left.

Sora stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do, when Lulu finally stood up from her desk and set her papers aside. "Alright, come on Sora. Let's get those cuts healed."

"Okay," Sora said kinda shy. They walked into a room behind the one they were in, and it was much larger. He saw various potions, but no bandages. She told him to take off his shirt and lay on a cot that was set up. After doing so, she examined the cuts all over his body. Next, she rolled up his pant legs and looked at the cuts there.

After a little while she finally whistled and said, "Some of these cuts are pretty bad. What were you doing when you got them?"

"I got into a fight," Sora said, sheepishly.

"With who?"

"Umm, his name was Sephiroth," Sora said as he remembered the gruesome details of his fight.

"Ahh, that explains a lot. I don't know many people who can cut like this with a whip. So are you ready?" Lulu said as she settled her doll on her arm.

"Oookaaaayyy …?"

"Alright. Close your eyes. You are going to feel a tingly sensation all over your body, and then a little pain where your deepest cuts are." Sora closed his eyes and when he did, Lulu called out, "Curaga!"

Sora felt funny all over, and then sharp pains on his chest and leg, like somebody was sticking a knife in his wounds. When the tingling sensation finally stopped, Sora opened his eyes and sat up. He looked at his chest and the cut was gone, but there was still a scar. The cut on his leg was also healed, but it was still a little red.

"I healed the smaller cuts and the one on your chest, but that one on your leg is going to take a little time to heal completely. Whoever fixed your cuts up before did the right thing by cleaning it so soon, because whatever gave you that could have killed you if it hadn't been bandaged. I'm surprised that you didn't die from the blood loss alone, not that I wanted you to, but well, you know," Lulu finished with a small smile.

"Yeah, I know. So, didn't the sensei want me to go to the training room next?" Sora said, looking for any excuse to change the subject from memories so close to Riku.

"Oh yes, come along, Sora," Lulu said after Sora had put his shirt back on. "But first, we have to get you the right clothes. Come here," Lulu said as she opened a closet and pulled out a white tunic and a pair of shorts. "Here, this is one of the smallest sizes we have. You're so thin; it'll be hard to find some that fit you. Here, take this to," Lulu said as she handed him a robe. "You'll be using that at night, or whenever Auron takes you night training up here in the mountains. Here you can change behind that screen, and then I'll take you to the training room."

Sora changed his clothes, and Lulu took his old ones and stored them away. Then she led him over to rather large room full of training katana, poles, targets, and mats. After she showed him the training room, Lulu left, leaving him with Auron all alone. The large man was training in hand to hand combat with a large pole that had sticks jutting out all over it. He was wearing garments very similar to the ones Sora was wearing, except much finer he had a black belt, compared to Sora's white one, and there was a symbol on the back, the insignia of his dojo.

"So, Sora, I see that you have been all healed up. So are you ready to start your training?" Auron said as he stopped training.

"Sure am," Sora said as he walked over to Auron.

"So, to know what I have to do to train you, I have to know what you can do already. Yuffie tells me that you can use the shuriken. Is that true?" Auron said in a bored tone.

"Umm, yes sensei," Sora said timidly.

"Well let's see what you can do," Auron said as he hung up one of the targets. "We'll use this one. Aim for the bull's eye. Use these," Auron said as he held out some shuriken.

"Yes sensei," Sora said as he took the offered weapon.

"Stand here. And stop calling me sensei. It makes me feel old," Auron said as he pointed to a spot just left of the target. When Sora was in place, Auron said, "Alright, now do it like you would normally do it."

Sora held the shuriken in his hand, and flung it at the target. They landed just left to the bull's eye. He flung two more, and this time they both hit dead on. The two afterwards hit exactly the same way.

"Okay, so at least you know how to use one of these. That saves a lot time. Okay, do you know how to use a katana or a sword?" Auron asked.

"Um, kind of. I know a little, but not a lot," Sora said uncomfortably, not liking the evil gleam in Auron's eyes.

"Okay, then we'll work on that next," Auron said as he took down the target and pulled out two katana. He threw one to Sora then he went over to the training mats, motioning for Sora to follow. Nervously, Sora followed, wondering how bruised he was going to be at the end of the day. "Take the high block defensive stance," he said, showing Sora the correct footing and how to hold the katana. "Now, I'm going to show you how to do a high strike."

Auron held his katana in a offensive position, then raised it high above his head and came crashing down on Sora's upraised katana, causing a loud clacking sound. The collision sent shocks through Sora's young body, making his arms vibrate slightly. Auron noticed this and said, "Looks like we're going to have to work on building up your muscles, huh?"

"Yep," Sora said, grinning slightly. They continued on like this for awhile; Auron showing him basic blocks and swings. Sora learned high, middle, low, and side blocks, and he learned high swings, middle swings, low swings and side swings. By the end, they were both sweaty and breathing heavily.

"Okay, that's enough for now, Sora. Time to take a little break and then we will learn how to do hand-to-hand combat. That should be fun, don't you think?" Auron said with a small laugh.

"Oh, yes. Grand," Sora said sarcastically.

Auron snorted at Sora's sarcasm and then went over to a cooler in the corner of the room. He took out two bottles of water, then threw one towards Sora, who caught it out of reflex. Auron opened the large bottle he held, then took a large swig out of it, then closed it back up. "If you want you can go talk to Yuffie for awhile while I set things up here."

"Okay," Sora said as he swallowed his large gulp. "Do you know where she is?"

"Try the kitchen. That's where I usually find her. If she's not there, try the other training room. That's where everybody who isn't in their private lessons practice," Auron said as he took out some equipment. "The kitchen is down the hall. If she isn't there, ask Selphie for directions to the other training room."

"Can do," Sora said as he exited the room. He headed down the hall, and found Yuffie in the kitchen with a giant sandwich.

"Hey, Sora! How's training going? Man, I'm starving! I always eat the food here, and I wonder why I leave every time. But then dad starts making me train on my old schedule, and then I remember," Yuffie said with a giggle. "Are you hungry? I can make you another sandwich if you want."

"Hi, you're the new kid, aren't you?" said a voice behind him.

"Oh, hey Selphie! How are you? Meet my apprentice, Sora!" Yuffie said to the girl behind Sora. Sora turned around and saw a small girl that looked to be about a year younger than Sora. She had short spunky brown hair, and perky emerald eyes.

"Well, hey there Sora!" Selphie said as she sprung up next to him. "I'm Selphie, and you're a real cutie!" This last statement from the girl made Sora turn 6 different shades of pink.

"Uh … thanks … I think," Sora said as the girl clung to his arm.

"Yuffie, you told me he was cute, but not this cute!" Selphie said, causing Sora to blush even more.

"Selphie, you be careful with him! He just came from intensive training with Auron-sensei. Plus, if you do anything to hurt Sora, you'll probably have Riku Renvulle breathing down your neck."

"Not that I'd mind, Riku is cute too, but neither of them is as cute as my Tidus! Can I show him around for little bit?"

"Sure, but be back in about 15 minutes so that he can finish his training" Yuffie said as she started on her giant sandwich.

The Next Morning:

Riku had arrived at Cloud and Leon's home, but right now he was very irritated. He came walking through the front door, giving the death glare to Leon, who was lecturing Riku.

"… and you should have stopped for that yellow light!" Leon said in his usual grumpy nature.

"Don't criticize my driving! You don't even have a car!" Riku shot right back.

"That's not the point! The way you drive, we're lucky to still be alive!" Leon said, getting infuriated.

"I got us here in one piece, didn't I?" Riku smirked at how irritated he was making Leon.

"Hey, Riku, Leon. What are you guys doing here?"

"Hey, Cloud, do you know where Sora is? You talk to her more than I ever do, although I don't know why," Leon said.

"She's actually pretty nice if you aren't always arguing with her," Cloud said.

"So, you say," Leon said as he turned away.

"Um, guys back to the topic on hand," Riku said, anxious to hear about Sora.

"Oh, yeah, well, he's with Yuffie, although I'm not sure where exactly," Cloud said taking off the apron he was wearing. "But some old friends will be by later, and they might know where he is," he said as he ran a hand through his blonde hair.

"Who, Cloud," Leon asked, his voice dangerously low, although you know that he wouldn't hurt Cloud.

"I'm not telling!" he said back, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

"Fine," Leon said, with a grunt. "So, what were you cooking? It smells sweet," he said as he sniffed the air.

"Well it should, I baked cookies. Want some Riku?" he asked, having better manners than his so called 'roommate,' even though they usually shared a bed at night.

"Umm sure," Riku said, feeling his stomach grumble and remembering that he hadn't eaten anything all day yesterday. After he had eaten, Riku decided to take a nap, because the people who knew where Sora was weren't going to be here for awhile.

Sora was now sore all over as he woke up from bed that morning. He could blame Auron for that, because he had gotten thoroughly beaten by Auron, even though Sora was pretty good at hand-to-hand combat. He hadn't gotten a very good rest last night, because he kept having dreams of a certain silver – haired boy.

He got up yawning, and walked outside to the dojo. Sora had a special room next to Yuffie's because technically he was her apprentice. But today, Yuffie said that she had to go do something out in the city. He walked into the kitchen, and was immediately confronted by two boys who held out some oatmeal to him.

"So, you're the new student, ya?" one with large red head said.

"Well obviously, Wakka, have you ever seen him around before today?" a very energetic blonde said.

"Well it never hurts to check, Tidus," the boy named Wakka said.

Sora sat down at the table and began to eat his cinnamon flavored oatmeal while the two argued.

"Who cares if I like Selphie! You like Lady Lulu!" Tidus said defensively.

"So! Lady Lulu is a beautiful angel," Wakka said.

Sora looked down sadly as he heard the word 'angel,' because he remembered that was what Riku had called him once. Finishing the last of his breakfast, he stood up, and went outside to the forest.

"Oh, Riku, where are you now? I can't stop thinking about you no matter how hard I try. I – I miss you, Riku. I hope you're safe and hopefully you have forgotten about me at least, so that you can go back to your old life. But I find myself wondering how I ever could have let you go? But for now, the only thing that I'm grateful for is that you are alive somewhere, and safe.

In the background, he could here Selphie calling him. "Sora, oh, Soraaaaa!" she called.

"I'm coming Selphie!" Sora yelled as he hurried back.

A/N: You can skip this part if you don't like Leon/Cloud pairings!
Riku woke up to some very disturbing noises coming from Cloud and Leon's room. Riku crept over to the door and slowly cracked it open, careful not to make a sound. He peered inside the dark room and what he saw would scar him forever. Cloud and Leon were on the ground, naked nonetheless. Leon was on top of Cloud, running his hands wildly through his hair, and slowly, his hands started to … move … lower … and … lower, then suddenly, Cloud bucked his hips up violently with a loud groan, grinding into the other boy, causing a moan from the brunette on top.

(A/N: It's safe!)

Riku pulled away from the door, closing it so that they wouldn't notice that somebody had opened it. He crawled away from the door and went back to the couch. He tried to get back to sleep, but he couldn't for two reasons. One reason was that he kept hearing moans, groans, and various name calling coming from the room. The other reason was that he kept thinking about Sora, and he was wondering what he was doing right now…

"Okay, Sora, time to start your fitness training. First you need to do cardio," Auron said as he stood at the beginning of the track with a stopwatch. "I'm going to time you, so when I say go, start running. Ready … set …go!"

Sora took off running, and 15:00 minutes later, Sora arrived back at the starting line, out of breath and drinking ferociously out of a water bottle. After swallowing a large gulp, he finally said, "How long was that course! It took forever to do!"

"Oh, it was only a mile and half, give or take a couple of rivers in between," Auron said, a smug smile on his face.

"I had to cross three very large rivers! You could have at least warned me about the them! I almost fell in one!" Sora cried indignant.

"But if I had warned you, what would be the fun of that?" Auron said teasingly. Sora sighed angrily, but otherwise didn't say anything. It seemed his new teacher had a very bizarre sense of humor. "Come on, Sora, time to do push ups."

'Great,' Sora thought as he walked over to his waiting master. 'If Ansem doesn't kill me, training will.'

"Okay, this one's simple. Just do push ups until you collapse," he said.

"Uhhhh," Soragroaned as he got down in the push up position.

That Evening:

Riku was relieved when he finally stopped hearing noises coming from the bedroom. He had just fallen asleep again when he heard some loud knocks on the door. In the bedroom he could here scrambling to get on clothes as the knocks grew louder and more impatient. Snickering, Riku got up and answered the door, and in front of him were two ladies, each with black hair. One was sporting a ninja outfit, while the other was wearing a long black dress.

"Are they in the bedroom?" asked the one wearing the dress. Riku nodded yes, and she went over and started banging on the door. "Hurry up and get dressed now!"

A couple of seconds later, a girl wearing a pink jumper with her hair put up in a braid arrived and said, "Let me guess, Lulu, they're in their trying to get their clothes on aren't they?" she said with a giggle towards the girl banging on the door.

"Well, duh, Aerith, what else would they be doing, even though they have a guest, right Riku?" asked the ninja girl, giggling along with Aerith.

"Yuffie? Is that you?" Riku asked as he examined the girl closer.

"Yup, it's me! Bet you don't recognize me without that dorky uniform on, do you?" Yuffie said, while smiling at the boy's stunned look.

Just then the door burst open and out came a very disgruntled Leon and Cloud with their hair all mussed and their clothes askew. "Finally," Lulu said as she moved out of the way.

"Okay, so you caught us. Happy?" Leon said as he walked into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee. "Anybody want some?"

"Actually, I'm very happy! And no, only old people drink coffee, Grandpa Leon," Yuffie said as she sat down at the table, with Leon giving her a very solid death glare in a way that seemed to say, 'Come over here and say that to my face while I have a sword in my hand.'

"Umm, Yuffie, heh-heh, you said that you know where Sora is," Cloud said, clearly reading the signs on his lover's face. It seemed Yuffie could read the signs also, but the only difference was, wasthat she didn't care.

"Come on, Yuffie, tell me," Riku complained towards Yuffie, while nudging her arm.

"Oh, I suppose," Yuffie said, leaning back in the chair and putting her feet up next to Leon's cup of coffee, earning her yet another death glare. "Well, right now, he's with my dad in the mountains. In a way, I feel sorry for the kid, but it's what he wanted."

"The mountains? Come on, Yuffie let me see him! Please?" Riku whined at the older girl, gripping her arm tightly. "I have to see him!"

"I'm sorry, Riku. I really wish I could, but Sora's mind is made up. He doesn't want to get close to you while his stepfather is after him. He's worried you might get hurt, or worse. He really cares for you, Riku. That's why he wants you to forget him. In case he doesn't come back. So that you won't be crying for him and making him feel guilty, because he would never want to cause you unnecessary pain just for him. Look, I've known Sora longer than any of you. And I know that he grew up being told that he was worthless and that nobody should worry about him, because he was taught that he wasn't worth anything to anyone and that crying for him was a waste of tears. All of this is because of two men, the one that hurt him physically and the one that hurt him mentally. Sephiroth and Ansem."

"So, the rumors are true. They have returned," Lulu said darkly as Leon pushed Yuffie's feet off of the table, receiving a glare from the younger girl.

"You see, Riku, that's why he cares about you so much. You truly showed him that it's okay to love and be loved. But in a way that scares him, because now that he's opened his heart up to you, he's worried that his stepfather and his little minion might snatch you away from him and hurt him again," Aerith said, trying to comfort the disappointed boy.

"I understand, it's just that I wanted to see Sora," Riku whispered, with his head bent.

"I know, but if Sora sees you, it will only hurt him more, because he would know that he's hurting you, even though it would make you and him happy for at least a little while. But then he would be sad that he would have to leave again, making both you and him upset. Or, he might choose to stay with you, and when Ansem comes, and you know he will, one of you might get hurt, and that would make both of you sad," Lulu said.

"Trust me, leaving you was one of the hardest things he's done yet," Yuffie said.

"But because of the path that he has chosen, it probably won't be the last," Leon said, after finishing his coffee. "But until he can defend himself, he needs protection from those that are powerful enough to give it to him. No offense Riku."

"But since Sephiroth tracked Sora down at Riku's home, Riku will need protection because they will try to get answers out of you that you may or may not know, and if you don't, they will kill you. Some people might hesitate to kill a kid, but these men won't. If they hear something that they don't like, they will kill you," Cloud said.

"The only exception to their horrific philosophy was Sora. Being the unknowing crown prince, he was the only one who could convict him of rape, molestation, or murder, so they would have gotten rid of him years ago. But because he's the prince, they can't do that, because that would cause an uprising in that world," Leon said grimly.

"Wait a second. You said 'unknowing.' What's that supposed to mean?" Riku asked.

"By 'unknowing,' we mean that sources tell us that Ansem once tried to poison the entire royal family. It worked for the most part, but something about Sora ruined his plan. Kairi he didn't have to worry about, because he knew that she would go to another family. But Sora he knew was willed to him, so he had to get rid of Sora if he wanted to be the king.

But when he went to get rid of him, he was too heavily guarded to kill. But since he was Sora's new stepfather, he was allowed to see him. And the first time that he saw Sora, he realized that the poison had done enough damage, even if it hadn't killed him. Sora couldn't remember that he was the prince, or even who he was. So Ansem called the poisoning an assassination attempt from a neighboring world, and that Sora had gone insane from the shock of losing his family. So, Ansem became the ruler of Hallow Bastion.

After awhile, the attention on Sora went down, and Ansem eventually started taking advantage of Sora, especially when he was drunk, which was often. He started coming into Sora's room at night, and molesting him and trying to rape him. Sora thought that he was no better than a slave, and he was only there for Ansem's sick 'entertainment.' But after awhile, little bits and pieces of his memory came back to him. Not a lot, but enough to know that he wasn't only put in this universe for Ansem to have fun with, and that his last name was Malcite, although he couldn't associate any of it with him being the prince. So eventually, he ran away, but to cover it up, Ansem called it a kidnapping. Ever since then, Ansem has been searching for Sora, so that he could kill him and blame it on the alleged 'kidnappers' and let whatever world that he happened to be on take all the blame. So ended up on the Destiny Islands, and here you have the current Sora that we all know and love," Cloud concluded to a Riku who was in shock.

"So, that explains why he couldn't remember that he was the prince," Riku said, as he broke out of his stupor.

"Yep, that's the whole story, Riku," Yuffie said, standing up. "Hey Riku, I know that you really wanted to see Sora, so I think I came up with a way for you to see Sora without him knowing. In two weeks, meet Aerith in the alley behind the convenience store. I'll take you to see Sora then. He should be done by training by that time, and he will probably be leaving soon afterwards.But by now, I better be heading back to make sure that dad hasn't killed Sora with his fitness training. Who knows how many times I almost got killed by it. Bye everybody," Yuffie said as she walked out.

"Well, it's getting late and I think I better be getting home. I have an art show next week, and I need rest if I'm going to get any sketches done. So, uhh, bye," Riku said while leaving the house. He hurried to catch up with Yuffie before she left. "Yuffie, did you really mean it when you said that I could see Sora?"

"Yep, I did. But remember, he can't see you. You know, Riku, I heard him last night before I left. He was dreaming about you. He knows that you can and will save him, although I should warn you to watch your back. Danger can be lurking in any corner. And now that you have gotten close to Sora, they will be after you. They'll be looking for anyway they can to hurt Sora, and you are the easiest way to do that, because you are the only one besides his sister that he has ever let this close to his heart," Yuffie said while putting a hand on Riku's shoulder.

"Don't worry, I won't let them hurt Sora using me, I promise," Riku said.

"That's a good boy," she said. "But I better hurry and get back to Sora. If I know my dad, he probably has Sora doing things until he drops where he is. I'll see you in two weeks, okay! Bye!"

"Bye Yuffie!" Riku called as she disappeared into the distance. Riku would have gone home, but there was one more stop that he wanted to make before he went home …

Sora was officially worn out. Today he had done running, push ups, sit ups, pull ups, and just about everything else imaginable, each until he couldn't do it anymore. When Auron finally let Sora go back, he was exhausted to the point that he almost fell asleep where he stood. He went back to his room, and as soon as he went to bed, he was asleep. But in his dreams, he couldn't help but dream about one person. His silver haired savior, Riku.
Riku arrived at the outlook above the island at close to midnight. He loved this place, because it was wear he first met Sora, a prince with no memories except the few twisted childhood memories with his stepfather. He missed Sora, but he now knew exactly why he left. But Riku still wished that he could see his precious Sora.

Riku got out of the car and walked up to the outlook, bringing his radio along. He sat down and turned it on. On it was playing "real Emotion" by the former High Summoner Yuna's new concert.

What can I do for you?

What can I do for you?
What can I do for you?
What can I do for you?
I can hear you!
What can I do for you?
What can I do for you?
What can I do for you?

Far beyond the hazy borders of my heart,
I can see a place,
It's something like this.
Every now and then I don't know what to do,
All I know is I,
Can never go back.
All the things seen,
In those hazy dreams,
Can't compare to what I'm seeing now,
Everything's so different,
That it brings me to my knees!

And, though, I know, the world of real Emotion
Has surrounded me,
I won't give into it
Now, I know
that forward Is the only way my heart
Can go,
I hear your voice calling out to me,
You'll never be alone.

What can I do for you?
What can I do for you?
What can I do for you?
I can hear you!

And if, I find, the real without emotion
Has surrounded me,
And I can't go on,
And you are there,
The moment that I close my eyes
You comfort me
We are connected for all of time
I'll never be alone.

And oh, I know, the world of real Emotion
Has surrounding me,
I won't give into it
Now, I know,
that forward is the only way my heart
Can go,
I hear your voice calling out to me,
You'll never be alone.

What can I do for you?
What can I do for you?
What can I do for you?
I can hear you!

I can hear you!

"Sora, be safe," Riku whimpered mournfully into the open air. "Whatever you do, be safe. And just remember that whatever you do, andwherever you go, I'll be in your heart, so I'll always be with you."

Author's Ranting:
So, how was that y'all? Did you like it? Leave me a review and tell me! I really enjoy reading all of your thoughts and comments. So, what did you like or dislike? So in this chapter you found out a lot of things about Sora's past and stuff. Did you enjoy it? It was kind of confusing to write, but I think that I got through it okay. In the next chapter, Sora will complete his training, Riku gets to see Sora, and Sora begins his quest to battle Ansem. I think I might leave the last chapter of this story sad, and then come out with a sequel using another idea I had earlier. Not sure yet, idea is still on the review board. Or maybe I could make it end happy and then have a sequel where everthing turns bad ... I don't know. What do you guys want? Check out my bio page for a short summary on what I think might happen. Tell me what you think. The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll post my chapter! The more ideas or comments I get, the sooner I'll make a decision. It might take a little longer to post the next chapter, but I'll try my best to get it up for next Saturday. So, review and Ja Ne! (By the way, I don't own "real Emotion" either!)