Disclaimer: Not mine
Chapter 19
Goofy threw his shield at Shan-Yu, knocking him away from Mulan even as Riku hit the bird that was making things even more difficult for them. Everyone else had retreated into the Palace to protect the Emperor which meant they had to keep Shan-Yu out!
He was worried about Riku though, his fighting was…conservative and he was barely using any magic. Had the year sleeping really weakened him that much? Sure, they'd lost some power and couldn't do some of the things they'd gotten used to, but they seemed a lot better off then him! Unless….he learned from Maleficent, did he only know Dark magic? That would be bad! Donald would need to start teaching him like he had Sora, hopefully he could use Light magic too or else things would be a lot more difficult until they could meet up with Sora.
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Maleficent stared out at Hollow Bastion, seeing the town in the distance, able to feel a certain Wizard within it. The castle was empty, she had sent Pete off on a mission, unable to deal with him at the moment. He was the only one who did not appear to have abandoned her, despite her temporary defeat, they would all pay for that.
She had checked Riku's bedroom but it was untouched, he had not used it. Pete had said he had seen him with the King's Men at Yen Sid's tower which was a good indication that he was no longer possessed. For that, she was glad, she wanted his mind, body, and heart to be his own. Maleficent wanted to know what had happened to him during her absence but had no way to find out, yet.
Would the possession have turned him against the Darkness? She hoped not, but it would be a rather natural reaction. She did not blame him for her death like a human would. He had not had control of his actions and even if he had, she would have been proud of his power.
She would approach him, ensure he was doing well, and offer him further training. He had Darkness within his heart that needed to be cultivated and carefully trained or else he could end up possessed by anything with the ability. If he chose to remain with the King's people, then that was his choice, but the process had begun, so long as any Darkness lingered in his heart it would continue. Once finished, he would have a very long time to accept that he belonged in the Darkness.
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Axel stared at his journal, he knew it was his and yet he didn't remember writing a lot of what was in it. Sora had been telling the truth….Xion was real and had been his friend, and now she was gone. Reading over everything, he had to wonder, was Saïx just using him to do his dirty work? He remembered the Riku Replica now, how they'd used it, and wondered what had happened to it after he left. He doubted very much Sora would have killed it.
So the question was, did any of it change things?
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Leon smirked slightly when Sora banged his head on the table, frustrated, not that he blamed the kid. He seemed to have the worse luck, even with Merlins' tracking spell to find them.
"Ah, good! you're here," Merlin announced as he appeared, and Sora lifted his head from the table.
"What is it?"
"I have good news! I have learnt the identity of the heart sheltering within yours," Merlin's pronouncement got blank stared from the whole group.
"The what?!" Sora yelped after a few seconds.
"Oh…oh dear, did I forget to tell you?"
"Tell him what?" Leon demanded. They knew Kairi's heart had been hidden within him, but another?
"Yes, well, when Sora was unconscious after freeing Kairi's heart, I performed a more in depth scan of his heart. It's not exactly my area of expertise, but I managed to detect another heart. It felt vaguely familiar actually, so I have been looking into it, and I am sure I know who it is."
"Who?" Sora asked nervously, not that they blamed him.
"Ventus!" Merlin smiled but once again received blank looks. "Oh…did none of you meet him before? He came here once, before everything went wrong."
Leon thought it over but then shook his head and from the look of things, no one else remembered meeting him either.
"Oh, well, Ventus was perhaps a few years younger than Sora is now. Perhaps mid-teens as you call it. He is also a Keyblade bearer," Merlin told them, shocking them all.
"Wait! I remember hearing about a mess…some big robot or something, beaten by three strangers…and one of them was a blond kid," Cid spoke up and Merlin nodded.
"Ventus, Aqua, and Terra. I met all three although I do not know what happened to them. There has been no sign of them and I have searched because Sora could use some proper instruction on the Keyblade aspect of his abilities," Merlin explained.
"And I can't go to Yen Sid," Sora ran a hand through his hair. "Who also might know what happened to them."
"The King may know as well," Merlin told him. "The next time you see him, mention Ventus' heart."
"Will do."
"Now that that is dealt with," Merlin began.
"Is there any way to get him out of me?" Sora asked, and Merlin blinked.
"Other than Sora stabbing himself again," Leon added quickly.
"There should be, however we do not know if his body has survived or where it is," Merlin pointed out, and Sora grimaced.
"Think you can steal another Replica off the Organisation?" Yuffie smirked and Sora laughed.
"Hey, I haven't stolen any! Xion came of her own free will and the one of Riku…I don't actually know what happened to him. But I suppose I could go back to Castle Oblivion and poke around. Would a Replica work?"
Merlin shrugged, he was a magician, not a scientist after all, but at least they had the beginning of an idea if this Ventus' body was unusable.
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Xemnas sat on his Throne, the others unoccupied. Their memories had all returned, of exactly what had happened with Ansem and the boy he had possessed. He had been spotted with the King's men with no sign of Sora. He'd been spotted, still alone, which puzzled them all. Everything they knew of the Keyblade bearer said that he had a desperate need to be with friends, that he saw them as his power.
Then there was the Imposter. Could it be Naminé or the Replica? She at least could open Corridors and it was possible he could as well. It was possible they could have taken one of the coats at Castle Oblivion and escaped that way since they had found no sign of either of them.
In the end, it didn't matter. Sora was still killing Heartless as they needed him to. There was no way their plans could be stopped.
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Riku tensed as the Beast took the glass covered rose from the table, the last time they'd seen each other hadn't exactly gone well, but surprisingly he stormed from the room without paying any real attention to them.
"Gee, do ya think he maybe forgot who we are?" Donald asked.
"With this many Heartless around, something must be wrong," there hadn't been any when he'd been sent to retrieve Belle.
"Why'd he have to do that?" Donald grumbled as they left the parlour but then stopped, looking upwards.
Riku looked but didn't see anything. "What is it?"
"I just know I saw a lady at the top of those stairs..."
They looked up the long staircase branching to the east and west but there was no sign of anyone.
"Well... If the Beast is here in the castle, that lady musta been Belle, right?" Goofy asked, looking up at the empty stairs.
"It should be, she was here when…" he shrugged slightly, not wanting to say it, he wasn't exactly proud of what he'd done after all. "Belle might know what's happened to the Beast, too."
"C'mon! Let's go find her!" Goofy ran for the stairs, Donald following.
Riku hesitated, how would she react to seeing him? Princess of Heart or not, she had every right to be angry with him. He jogged after them, heading up into the east wing, having to fight Heartless and possessed statues along the way. They came to a closed door and paused to listen at it.
"What am I going to do?" a female voice could be heard on the other side, a voice he recognised.
Riku took a deep breath and knocked on the door which quickly opened. Belle looked at him and gasped, stepping back.
"Belle!"
"Donald? Goofy? Oh, I'm so glad to see you! But…where is Sora? And why are you with him?"
"It's okay Belle, Riku's on our side," Donald quickly told her.
"Yep, he was possessed by Ansem before but he's okay now. We're lookin' for Sora, you haven't seen him?"
"No, not since the Worlds were separated, but I'm sure he's alright," she smiled but there was something that didn't feel right about it to Riku, like she wasn't saying something.
"Where's the Beast?" Donald asked, changing the subject.
"Oh, he must be in the west wing. We don't talk like we used to," she admitted sadly, moving further into the well-appointed bedroom.
"Did something happen?" Riku asked awkwardly.
"Yes. I thought that was why you were here."
"We can still help! And maybe Sora will know and come too."
"Since we're already here and all," Riku agreed.
"The Beast won't talk to you?" Donald pressed and she shrugged, moving to look out the balcony doors.
"He's been acting strange lately. The only ones who might know why are locked up in the dungeon. I want to help them, but...
"Wait a second, who did he lock up?" Riku frowned, that didn't sound like the Beast he'd met.
"The Beast locked up his servants," she admitted sadly.
"But why?"
"That's what I don't know."
Riku didn't even need to check with the others, apparently getting involved in the Worlds. "Where's this dungeon?"
"You can get to the under croft from the west hall. The dungeon is down there."
"West hall, right."
"Be careful!" she called after them.
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Sora snarled and launched himself at the Nobody, ripping its throat out with his fangs, claws digging deep in another. He resummoned his Keyblade and went after the rest, making short work of them. He rubbed his shoulder, he knew it was healed but it still ached, despite the cure spell and potion, even they had their limits and that massive Heartless in the Land of Dragons had nearly ripped his arm off! Getting into another fight so soon, even with his own healing, had put a lot of stress on the limb.
He opened a Corridor, wanting to search the Castle for anything possibly left behind that could help with a Replica. He stopped before entering, frowning in confusion, and then he grinned. It was Merlin's spell! It was tugging him and he stepped into the Corridor, focused on following it rather than going to Castle Oblivion.
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Kairi lifted her wooden sword and squared off with Tidus. Both of the guys said she was improving and she'd noticed she had a lot more energy now then she used to, she could run for a lot longer and lift heavier things. Her grades in sport had never been so good. But was it enough to fight beside Sora and Riku? She'd been ready the book from Merlin that Sora had given her on his visit, trying to teach herself even beginners magic, but it wasn't going so well, she needed proper instruction and not self-training.
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Riku dropped to one knee, staying still as Donald quickly healed him, before getting back to his feet. That strange chained ball had been a difficult fight with the way it merged into objects.
"Look out!" Goofy's shout had him spinning around, swearing as he saw the Heartless was back…and changing, the chains breaking apart, freeing its true form, wonderful.
Riku knew they were in trouble, rubbing his chest, able to feel the pull of Darkness in his heart. He couldn't give in! Who knew what would happen, what it would do to him to use that kind of power again.
"Oh great, he's back!" Donald yelled, and Riku looked over at where he was pointing.
Opening off to the side of the ballroom was a Corridor of Darkness…a black coated figure emerging, and Riku tensed, shifting to be able to face him if he attacked, assuming it was Xaldin, which he did….the Heartless. His eyes widened, locking on the weapon in their hand. Was it possible…
"Sora?" he whispered. That…that was a Keyblade!
"Sora!" Donald and Goofy called in shock and relief.
Riku watched in awe as Sora moved across the room…he'd really improved! He'd been good then but now… a blast of fire hit the Heartless, causing it to shriek in pain but focus on Sora. A few more attacks and it was done for.
"You did it!" Goofy cheered.
"So you think," Xaldin said, and they looked over to the door to see him there. "So, you are the Imposter. Orders are to destroy you," he stated, and Riku saw Sora shift position, Keyblade ready, and Riku pushed himself to ready to fight as well. "But perhaps not today," he finished, obviously seeing them all get ready to fight. They might be tired but Sora was fresh.
"Xaldin!" the Beast roared, running towards him, but opened another Corridor.
"Farewell," he called as he vanished.
They waited in silence for a minute but nothing else happened, and Riku turned back to Sora.
"Sora," Riku called, and he turned to them, hidden fully by the coat. Riku dismissed Soul Eater and ran towards him, stopping before he reached him, not sure of his reception.
Sora's Keyblade vanished and then he reached up, pushing back the hood. "Riku," Sora whispered, blue eyes wide.
He looked different, older, but that made sense after a year, and Leon had mentioned Merlin using magic to let him train faster, a necessity when travelling on his own, which had aged him even more than that year. So maybe they were the same age now? It didn't matter….all that mattered was the fact there was no anger or disgust in Sora's expression.
And then Sora reached out to him and Riku closed the distance, hugging him tightly, hearing Sora choke back sobs. "Riku, you're here….you're really awake."
"I'm here," he agreed, holding on just as tightly as Sora was. How long had it been since they'd hugged? They used to touch all the time but then he'd pulled away…never again.
He pulled at the coat, wanting to see Sora with his own eyes, to have proof he was in one piece after hearing the comments on replacement clothing, and Sora reluctantly stepped back, unzipping the coat and removing it. His clothing was different even to what he remembered from their battles in Hollow Bastion but it suited him, his hair a bit shorter than he used to wear it too, but he was still Sora.
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Goofy smiled as the two hugged, clinging to each other, even as he held Donald back from joining in. They could say hello when the boys were done.
"Sora," the Beast nodded, seeming relieved to see the rather occupied teen.
"I think they'll be busy for a while," Donald sighed. "We should let them talk." He glanced at them again and then ushered everyone out of the ballroom.
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Sora took in how Riku had grown while sleeping. He'd known about his hair but now he could see how much height he'd gained, so unfair. He let Riku take his time looking him over, knowing the changes were a lot more obvious in him since he'd been younger to start. He liked Riku's new clothing, could feel the protective magics woven into it, and assumed the three Fairies that Merlin had mentioned had made it.
"You need a haircut," he laughed, and Riku chuckled, but it sounded shaky.
"You don't."
"I've seen Kairi, she's not impressed I missed you waking up since I promised to bring you straight home to see her once you did," he admitted, fighting the urge to reach out and touch, to kiss him again now that Riku would be aware of it.
"You…she doesn't…" Riku swallowed and looked away. Sora felt the near jump when he took his hands, but at least Riku looked back up at him.
"I missed you so much. When that Door closed… then when I found you in Castle Oblivion, you barely recognised me, too much of your memory was gone, and it kept getting worse. By the time I got you into the pod, you'd lost everything. You couldn't walk, understand us, anything," Sora explained shakily, feeling Riku freeze, his face a mask of horror.
"Sora, what happened to me?" he asked desperately, and Sora hesitated, remembering Naminé's warning.
"Your memory was altered and then erased on orders of the Organisation. I was the target, but it didn't work, so they used you instead. They wanted a Keyblade wielder under their control, I guess they would have had you try to call it back again? Or found a way to give you another one? Not really sure. After we beat the person in charge, Donald and Goofy went into the pods to fix their altered memories and I went looking for you."
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"How could they do that?" That kind of power… how could Yen Sid expect them to fight that? But…Sora had fought at least one of them in the Castle. How powerful had he become?
He listened as Sora explained about Naminé, and where she'd come from. The idea that they had made a fake him was very creeping, though he was glad it had helped Sora in the end.
"Riku…I don't know a lot about what you went through there, what I do know came from Naminé. If you remembered what happened, it could damage your memory again, it could…destroy your heart," Sora explained, and Riku blanched.
He wanted to know, to understand but those risks sounded a bit too high. "Sora...I…" he stared down at his best friend, there was so much he wanted to say but he couldn't figure out how or where to start. Sora just smiled at him, reaching up to brush back some hair that had come loose in the fight. Riku's eyes widened slightly at the move, was it…could he…?
He'd been so jealous when he'd seen how close Kairi and Sora were becoming, closer and closer all the time, he knew that had played a part in what he'd done, that and his own confusion. One minute he was jealous of Kairi and the next of Sora and it just hadn't made sense, he couldn't like both of them, could he? It didn't matter, neither of them would ever…
Riku froze as his lips brushed against Sora's, feeling a hand buried in his hair, his own hand resting on Sora's hip. Had he? Had Sora? He tensed and Sora moved back, cheeks red.
"I'm sorry," Sora rushed out, and Riku's eyes widened. "I shouldn't have"
Riku cut him off, kissing him, managing to bump their noses together awkwardly. He felt Sora's other hand move to grip his shoulder, holding him close, and he copied him. He'd never kissed anyone before but it felt…nice. Very nice if a little odd. Sora was the one to end the kiss, smiling softly, and Riku felt his cheeks get rather hot.
"I kissed Kairi!" Sora suddenly blurted out, and Riku jerked back, embarrassed and worried. If he'd kissed her then why kiss him? "And she kissed me…and she drew you sharing a Paopu fruit with us," he finished, and Riku blinked, confused.
"I…what?" he asked, hating that he didn't know what was going on. Sora wouldn't juts play with him like that…he wouldn't.
Sora smiled nervously, one hand moving behind his head even as he shuffled his feet a little. "We both like you Riku, and each other. I know that's not normal on the Islands but I've seen it in other Worlds and it can work…if you like us?"
Three of them? He'd never even considered that; hadn't thought it was an option. But…maybe it was what he wanted? Would it explain what he'd felt when he saw them being so close?
"Just think about it, okay? I shouldn't have done that, not when I just found you, but I couldn't risk never having the chance again. And…well technically I kissed you before too, just before you went into the pod, not that you were aware of it," he looked away as he admitted that.
Riku nodded, time to think sounded good. Sora kissing him when he was like that didn't bother him, he knew it had been a goodbye of sorts. "Okay." He took a calming breath and then slowly offered his hand, Sora grinning as he took it, then they walked towards the doors. "Guess we failed the mission Master Yen Sid gave us."
"Oh?"
"Well, you found us and he wanted us to find you," Riku smirked, and Sora laughed.
"I won't tell if you don't."
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Belle looked over as the doors to the Ballroom opened and the two teens emerged, holding hands. She felt the same Darkness in Sora as they all had back in Hollow Bastion, a different kind of Darkness to that which Riku had. Sora's was more…primal, animalistic, which was rather confusing. He saw her and smiled shyly, and she felt a pang of guilt over how they had treated him before.
She smiled at Sora and he blinked, startled, but then his smile widened. With Mrs Potts' help, they soon had everyone settled with warm drinks and light food to help them recover from the battle, although she noticed Sora was doing a good job of pretending to eat which was strange.
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"Sora, where have you been?" Donald demanded once the four of them had left the Castle.
"Chasing after you three," he grinned at them. "I was there until a few minutes before you woke up but then there was an emergency…Thebes was being overrun by Heartless and Nobodies, and Hercules needed help. I kept just missing you."
That made Goofy laugh, though he muffled it at Donald's glare.
"Where to next?" Riku asked, once again holding Sora's hand.
"Well, Kairi's waiting to see you so I was hoping to kidnap you back to the Islands for a while. I've got a ship so you'd only need to use the Corridor once."
"Sounds good to me!" Goofy jumped in. "We could meet you in Hollow Bastion in four days?"
Sora nodded and looked to Riku who's nod was more hesitant, obviously worried about going home.
"But…" Donald looked between them all before shaking his head. "Fine! But not a day more."
TBC…
