A/N: 'Tis now a little after six in the afternoon and I have just spent who knows how long talking to one of my friends named James (I know two Jameses) and playing Klondike Solitaire and am currently in an abnormally good mood, meaning I have just laughed my ass of at every other word spoken, including the words "two's," "Pokemon," and "gloat." Yes, I am insane. No, I am not on any drugs. Not even Tylenol. I don't trust drugs, and I trust doctors about as far as I can spit them. And seeing as no sane or otherwise person would want to stick a doctor in their mouth and see how far they can be spat, that's not very damned far. You really don't want to know the mental image behind that... And my Japanese-English dictionary has dye all over it... Yes, for those of you who were bitching (behind my back on Livejournal, mind) because of my use of the word "koishii" as opposed to "koibito" (meaning that Mizu says "beloved" as opposed to "lover"), and you know who you are, you now know what "dark hole" I pulled the word from. And if I weren't a girl and thus totally lacking this body part, I would tell you to suck my dick. As it is, feel free to kiss my ass at any time. And yes, this is me in an abnormally good mood. Unless, of course, I'm around my friends, then we have a hard time keeping me from making a complete idiot out of myself in public and/or we traipse around like a pack of lesbians. We have fun. And we're not lesbians. Well, most of us... Those of us that aren't lesbians are either totally bi or totally straight or totally guys. And there is only one homophobe in the group, but we're going to cure him of that if we have to tie him up and toss him in a closet with another guy. Litterally! We're ruthless, and don't approve of homophobia. And that, my friends, is called "OMFG? WTF? TMI!" Better known as "Dude, we didn't need to know that!" Anyway, enough of my severe lack of a social life, here's the fic!

Sora's sword wiped out the last of the wave of Heartless, and he sprinted to the only door he saw. He assumed this was the "front door" Mizu had been talking about, but he didn't see much of a choice. Besides, it was either go in now, or stay out here and continue beating on the Heartless with a useless wooden sword. He was still a little miffed at Riku about that cruel joke, but the initial anger had swiftly faded and was replaced with concern for his friend. Riku had never treated him that way before, not even after he sided with the Heartless. What could possibly be wrong?

"Be on your guard," the Beast growled, looking around the Entrance Hall suspiciously. "They're close, I can feel it. Are you ready for them?"

The funny thing was, Sora was just wondering that himself.

He didn't notice when the Beast took off after a Heartless that had been impersonating the girl Beast cared about most, Belle, though. Instead, his attention was focused on the three figures standing in front of him, apparently waiting.

"Quit while you can," Riku snarled.

"No," Sora snapped immediately. "Not without Kairi."

Sora watched in stunned amazement as Riku used his dark powers to transform, though what that signified Sora couldn't guess.

"The darkness will destroy you," Riku pointed out calmly, almost coldly.

"You're wrong, Riku," Sora said, and he knew in his heart that it was true. No matter what Riku had been told, and no matter how scared Sora was at that moment, he still knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the darkness couldn't touch his heart. "The darkness may destroy my body, but it can't touch my heart. My heart will stay with my friends. It'll never die!"

"Really," Riku scoffed, holding out his hand, palm out and fingers spread. "Well, we'll just see about that!"

Sora suddenly found that he couldn't move, and watched in horror as a globe of darkness began to form in the palm of Riku's hand. Next thing he knew, that black orb was rocketing towards him, and he did his best to get a defense up in time.

"Sora!" shrieked a voice that was unmistakably Mizu's, and also unmistakably scared to death for him.

Neither of them should have worried.

There was a flash of light, and suddenly Sora could move again. He opened his eyes to find Goofy standing in front of him, having blocked the attack with his shield.

"Sora ain't gonna go anywhere!" Goofy said matter-of-factly.

"You would betray your king?" Riku asked.

"Not on your life!" Goofy retorted. "But I'm not gonna betray Sora, either, 'cause he's become one of my best buddies after all we've been through together!" Goofy then looked around his shield, and waved good-bye. "See ya later, Donald. Could ya tell the king I'm really sorry?"

"Hold on, Goofy," Donald protested, running towards his two friends. "We'll tell him together."

"Well," the duck said, almost embarrassedly, when he was back at Sora's side, "you know... One for all and all for one."

"I guess you're stuck with us, Sora," Goofy laughed.

Sora hung his head, really glad that he had two of his friends back, but having them with him again only heightened his realization that he was about to fight the one person he had always believed in as a friend, through thick and thin, no matter what happened or what was said.

"Thanks a lot," he replied, and he meant it. "Donald, Goofy."

"How will you fight without a weapon?" Riku asked, sounding as though he found the entire scene utterly disgusting.

"He has a weapon," Mizu snapped. "It's called 'friendship,' and it seems to be something you've forgotten."

"I know now I don't need the Keyblade," Sora retorted, clarifying Mizu's outburst. "I've got a better weapon. My heart."

"You tell 'im, kid," Mizu encouraged.

"You heart?" Riku laughed. "What good will that weak little thing do for you?"

"Although my heart may be weak, it's not alone," Sora explained, not knowing why he was explaining in the first place. Maybe his heart, and the hearts of all his friends were telling him that Riku needed to know this. "It's grown with each new experience, and it's found a home with all the friends I've made. And if they think of me now and then... if they don't forget me..." Sora somehow managed to hold back the "like you have" he desperately wanted to say, "then our hearts will be one."

Sora steeled himself, then drew his wooden sword and took a fighting stance, facing his former best friend, ready to attack or defend at any moment, and knowing that not a word of what he said had gotten through to Riku. He couldn't resist one last try, though.

"I don't need a weapon. My friends are my power!"

They Keyblade chose that moment to switch masters, and reappeared in Sora's hands, where it belonged.

"You've forgotten this, Riku," Mizu pointed out softly from her perch on the balcony ringing the hall. "You've forgotten what true friendship is, and you've forgotten what it's like to have a heart."

She swung over the bannister and landed on the floor like a cat, then stood and began slowly walking towards Riku.

"I don't know what happened," she admitted, "but you're different from what I remember. The Riku I know wouldn't have allowed his heart to blacken like you have." She stopped a few feet in front of him and crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a stern but worried look. "Tell me, Riku, what happened to the boy I fell in love with?"

Riku was visibly taken aback by this. On the other hand, Sora nearly lost his jaw. And his eyeballs, for that matter.

"What do you mean?" Riku asked.

"Where's the real Riku?"

"What?" Riku barked. "I am the real Riku!"

Mizu shook her head, a sad smile on her lips. This just got Riku even angrier.

"Are you saying I'm a fake?"

"Wow, you're quick for a fraud," Mizu said, smirking up into his face. There were one of three possible reasons for that smirk:

1) she was enjoying herself.

2) she was goading Riku on for some reason or another.

3) answers 1 and 2.

Sora's vote was for #3. Because knowing Mizu, this was a part of her "grand scheme" that she had forgotten to mention, and she was just sadistic enough to be having fun with the whole affair. Therefore, answer number three made perfect sense.

"I'm not a fake!" Riku snapped at her.

"Prove it," came the immediate response. Riku opened his mouth to say something, reconsidered, closed it, tried again, then repeated the process a few times. After three tries, he stood in silence. "You can't, can you?"

"I..." Riku started, then stopped again. Mizu lost her smirk and laid a hand on his arm.

"I'm willing to help," she said softly. "But only if you're willing to accept it."

Riku jerked his arm away from her.

"Why should I?" he snarled. "You're not doing anything to help Kairi! Even after you swore you'd do everything you can to save her, you haven't done a thing! Why should I believe you'd help me? Or are you breaking your promise?"

Mizu's eyes flashed with anger, and Sora involuntarily took a step back. He was reminded of a saying that went "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Well, it looked like Mizu was just scorned.

"I may be a murderer," she snarled right back into Riku's startled expression, "and a thief, and a terrorist, but I am no oathbreaker. I am helping Kairi, and that requires helping you first! Or do you want her to see you like this, defeated and turning to darkness for salvation?"

"Shut up," Riku spat, but Mizu just plowed right over him.

"I know Kairi well enough to be certain that she would not appreciate you turning to darkness for her sake," she continued heatedly. "She would rather remain in danger than see any of us harmed because we were trying to save her. And you foolishly--"

"Shut UP!" Riku shouted, backhanding Mizu across the face and knocking her to the ground. That was enough for Sora, though. He attacked, Keyblade leading. Riku fended him off for a few moments, but after a few well-placed spells from Donald and getting slammed a couple times by Goofy's shield, he turned tail and ran. Sora stooped and helped Mizu to her feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sincerely worried about her.

"I'll live," she said, though she didn't sound like she believed it. "Looks like I pushed too hard too fast, huh?"

"What were you trying to do?" Donald asked.

"I was trying to get him to see that the path he had chosen was the wrong one," she admitted, gingerly rubbing her cheek. "I was hoping playing against his ego would work, but... well, that was obviously a mistake. I just don't get it. He never showed a bent for the darkness on the islands. I wonder what happened?"

"He's been hanging around with Maleficent and her gang," Sora informed her, and her look immediately blackened.

"Right," she growled. "I forgot. That witch has been poisoning him with her lies and false promises." She sighed and looked forlornly at a spot on the wall. "By now it's probably too late to save him."

They were silent for a moment more, then Mizu draped an arm across Sora's shoulders, and grinned at him.

"So," she said jovially, "what say you we go save his sorry butt whether he likes it or not?"