Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 29

Sora was worried about Riku, not because of his appearance but because of what he could sense. Being able to smell everyone's scent change with their emotions could be annoying but it was useful at the moment, Ansem's face wasn't the most expressive. He could smell Riku's confusion, despite his comforting Kairi, and wondered if he even remembered the attack that had led to his kidnapping.

Riku slumped against Kairi and Sora moved in to support him, thankful for vampire strength which made even Riku's large form light, if a little awkward, to hold.

"Riku?" Kairi called in alarm.

"We need to get him back to Merlins'," Sora said, an arm around Riku's shoulders to help hold him, fingers stroking the thin shirt, hoping he could feel it. "Can you guys hold him up for a minute?" he asked, and Goofy joined them to help hold Riku up as Sora dug through his magic pockets, pulling out the familiar black coat, the three of them managing to get it on Riku who tried to help but wasn't managing much. "Take the ship back, we'll see you there."

"Sora…"

"Kairi you don't have a coat and we are not risking you to the Darkness. I'll be fine, I'll get him ho, back to Merlins'," he quickly corrected. The Islands were home, calling Merlins' home wasn't right….even if his life there felt more real now. they were having trouble sourcing another coat for her, not like Axel could give her his, he needed it. Normally, Sora would let her wear his, but at the moment Riku needed it, who knew what more exposure at the moment would do to him.

"I'll get her back safe!" Goofy swore, and Sora grinned at him before reaching out and opening a Corridor.

He carefully took Riku from them and stepped into it, feeling part of himself relax, the vampire part that craved darkness and quiet. Just because magic allowed him to remain in the sun, didn't mean his instincts liked it. He felt Riku tense, trembling slightly. "Easy, it's okay. Just a quick walk and then you can sleep in a comfy bed, okay?" he murmured, keeping his voice calm and quiet. He could hear Riku's heart beginning to race.

Sora paused and knelt down, bringing Riku with him, even kneeling his current form towered over Sora. He cupped pale cheeks in his hands, making sure they had eye contact. "I'm right here Riku," he promised. "I won't let anyone hurt you or take you away again. Just focus on me, okay?" He felt a hand clutch at his jacket as Riku leant into his touch.

"What's…wrong with me?" he asked, and Sora took the risk of pressing a chaste kiss to unfamiliar lips. He loved Riku, no matter the form he was in, but he also didn't want to

"Nothing. You've been hurt Riku, you'll get better," he whispered, he believed in his heart that Riku would get better. Either way, the Organisation would pay.

Maybe that was wrong, not human, or not Light enough…but he'd found that the longer he was a vampire, the harder it was getting to remember where the line was, at least when it came to those important to him, but especially Kairi and Riku. If DiZ had pushed much further with Naminé...Sora knew the old man would have ended up regretting it after he was through with him. As much as he hated to even consider them being gone…who he would become without his friends, once they passed of old age, scared him. Would he grow to see humans as nothing more than a potential meal one day? No…he'd still have Merlin, his teacher wouldn't let him become a monster like Her.

"Come on, we shouldn't linger here."

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Yen Sid looked up, surprised by the presence the tower was only now alerting him to. Then again, if anyone could get in without alerting him, it would be his old teacher. They hadn't seen each other in years, not since he had chosen to devote himself to his life as a Keyblade Master. Even once he had retired and moved to the Mysterious Tower they had not contacted each other. Perhaps if he had, the events of a decade ago could have gone differently but he would never know now. Still, what could have drawn Merlin away from his life to come and see him after so long?

The door opened and Merlin marched in, unchanged despite the decades, except…he had rarely seen the older Wizard so stern. "Master Merlin," he greeted his old Master respectfully. "What brings you to see me?"

"Sora," was the curt answer, surprising him. "The boy is my Apprentice, Yen Sid, do stop trying to kidnap him."

"Your Apprentice?" that was a surprise, Merlin had not taken a student, let alone an apprentice since him.

"Correct. That boy has great potential and I'll not have you messing with him. He doesn't need your kind of…dogmatism," Merlin warned, and Yen Sid frowned.

"He is a Keyblade Wielder, the rules are far stricter."

Merlin harumphed. "Because you say so?" he shook his head. "You had a lot of promise once, now look at you. Not that it matters, as his Master it is my duty to see to his teaching and I am telling you to stay out of it."

"And what of his Keyblade studies?" Yen Sid demanded. The boy would need a proper Master to learn his role in the universe.

"He's already saved the Worlds once, I'd say he's doing just fine in that department," Merlin went to leave but then paused. "Oh, did you ever know a boy named Ventus?"

"Indeed, sadly his heart was lost many years ago. Master Aqua hid his body away in hopes that one day he would find his way back."

"I see…and what happened to her?"

"There has been no sign of her since," he admitted, confused. "Why?"

"I met young Ventus once, such an energetic boy, Sora reminds me of him in many ways. Then again, what would you expect when his heart resides in Sora's?"

Yen Sid's eyes widened but Merlin was gone. Ventus' heart? Was that how the boy had gained a Keyblade? He knew Terra had passed his on to Riku, but Sora had been a mystery. If only he knew where Aqua had hidden his body… There was something…more to his old Master's denial of his meeting Sora, but what?

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Cloud straightened as a Corridor opened, hand moving to his sword before lowering as Sora emerged, sans coat. Cloud moved in as he saw the slumped, coated, figure that Sora was helping through. "Sora?"

"It's Riku," he answered, confusing Cloud since the kid had to have gone through one major growth spurt since his last visit.

Still he slung an arm over his shoulders, while Sora could easily take the taller bodies weight, the height difference made walking difficult. Cloud was taller than Sora, though not by a lot, and backed by Soldier strength. Between them, they got Riku to Merlin's and onto the bed in the main room. He helped peel the black coat off to reveal an unfamiliar form.

"What happened to him?" he asked, moving to get Sora a mug of blood and one of water for the pretty out of it Riku.

"The Organisation drew what was left of Xehanort's heartless from Riku's heart. He beat it but…" Sora waved a hand at his friends altered body, accepting both mugs but put the one meant for him down to sit beside Riku. "Here Riku, it's water," he murmured, voice tender. Cloud moved away silently so as not to intrude and to see if he could find Merlin or Ienzo to help.

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"Here Riku, it's water," the soft voice called to him, something pressing to his lips.

He let them part, cool liquid entering his mouth. He drank thirstily, feeling gentle fingers stroking through his hair, calming him. He let himself be guided down, body going limp, feeling his body rest against another, smaller, arms wrapping around him but not to restrain.

"Riku? You with me?" the voice whispered against his ear, and he struggled to focus.

"Sora?" it was Sora, wasn't it?

"Yeah, I'm here."

He felt a hand move to gently stroke his arm, his body somehow relaxing even more. His mind felt calm for the first time, drifting, safe.

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"That's it Riku, just relax, you're safe," Sora whispered, feeling Riku relax completely in his arms. "You're going to be okay," he kept up the soothing words and touch, just wanting to keep Riku calm and focused on him. He looked up when the door opened, admitting Naminé and Dai who froze, cyan eyes wide, obviously recognising Riku's current appearance.

"It's okay Dai, it's Riku," Naminé quickly reassured him before approaching. "You found him," she smiled in relief.

"He was scared and hurt and managed to call out. We found him in Traverse Town," Sora explained quietly.

She nodded and slowly reached out to touch Riku's face, Sora feeling him jerk slightly at the foreign touch.

"It's okay, it's Naminé, she's a friend," Sora soothed him.

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Daichi stared at the three of them, not daring to move closer. Naminé had told him but seeing his original like that… It was better he stay back, they still looked enough alike that all seeing him would do was confuse Riku further since it seemed he was still struggling with his memory. Seeing her go to his side so quickly hurt though, maybe…maybe no one would want him now that the real Riku was back.

He watched Naminé press her hands gently to Riku's head, closing her eyes, waiting to hear just how much damage the Organisation had caused his original.

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Naminé gently pressed her hands to Riku's head, closing her eyes. She was relieved to find less damage then when she'd last had the chance to check. She could feel him trembling slightly, Sora whispering to him, soothing him. There was no pod, not programs, nothing but her power over memory, and she was hesitant to meddle but…Riku was too vulnerable.

"I need to speak with Merlin and Ienzo before trying anything," she decided, and Sora nodded. "However, he is better than he was when I first found him."

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Ienzo looked down at the body sleeping on the bed, fighting down the instinctive fear of it. This was not Xehanort in any way, it was the boy, Riku. Everyone who knew him was sure of it, still, the form he was in was rather startling. He carefully attached his equipment even as Merlin paced around, muttering to himself.

He could feel Sora's eyes on them, watching their every move, and it was somewhat disconcerting. Since learning the truth of what had happened to the Keyblade wielder, he could now see his true form and he had to admit that having crimson eyes so firmly locked onto him was just as fear inducing as the image before him.

No…Sora was still able to wield the Keyblade, he may have a foot or more in the Dark, but he still held Light too. He would not harm him unless he did something to endanger the world…or the altered boy on the bed. It was actually a relief when Axel appeared, the redheads eyes going wide. Finding out that the Nobody had a heart had been startling, and made him wonder just how many lies they had been fed by Xemnas. It was good that Axel had left, even if he was still a Nobody, none of them deserved to be used.

Once everything was ready, Naminé perched on the chair beside the bed and went to work.

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"You can come in Dai," Sora called, smelling the other teen in the doorway. He looked over, hearing the hesitancy in Daichi's movements. He swallowed as he realised why and then offered his hand. Dai wavered, looking from him to the body sleeping in the bed, before slowly approaching. He pulled Daichi into a hug, feeling him stiffen before cautiously hugging back. "You're my friend Dai," he promised. "Riku doesn't remember you, the two of you can get to know each other now. You're not a replacement for him or lesser than him either. If anything, you're more like…brothers. Okay?"

Daichi pulled back to stare at him before slowly nodding. "I think…he wanted a brother."

"Yeah, he does. He almost had one too but…" Sora grimaced, he remembered how upset Riku had been when his Mom lost the baby.

Dai frowned. "I…I don't remember that."

Sora winced. "Yeah, I…I think Riku did his best to block it out after it happened. He was nine then so definitely old enough to remember, unless he wanted to forget." He reached out to run his fingers through long white hair, wishing it was silver.

Naminé was sure that Riku's mind was fixed, but as of yet there was no way to fix his body. They were almost through to the lab entrance and once that happened, Ienzo would hopefully have more materials to work on Replica bodies, for Ventus, Naminé….and now Riku.

"I guess….it's kind of like Naminé and Kairi meeting," Dai said after a while, breaking the silence, and Sora grinned at him. "I'm glad you found him," he offered before leaving.

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He was…warm…comfortable… he struggled to remain asleep, not wanting to face…what? He shifted slightly, struggling to remember…Kairi…protecting her…pain. Slowly, he became aware of a hand stroking his hair, his breath hitching in reaction, who was it?

"Riku?" a familiar voice whispered. "Can you hear me?"

He was…scared, scared to open his eyes and find it was a dream but he couldn't deny that tone. Sora sounded so worried. He gradually forced his eyes open, staring into bright blue eyes that lit up in happiness. "S…" he coughed, mouth dry. "Sora?" a hand went behind his head, helping him lift it, a cup of water pressed to his lips, and he drank gratefully. "Where?"

"Merlin's," Sora answered, stroking Riku's cheek with his hand, and Riku pressed into the touch.

He remembered, Sora had kissed him, or had he dreamed that? He tried to sit up, body feeling strange, but then Sora was there, helping him lean up against the pillows.

"Take it easy, you've been through a lot," Sora told him, holding his hand now, and it felt good but also…strange.

Riku looked down at their joined hands and frowned, something was wrong…yes, his hands were bigger than Sora's, he was older, taller, but…not that big. He lifted his free hand, staring at it in confusion before his eyes went wide in horror. No! no, no, no, no.

"Riku!" he jolted at the shout, realising Sora was literally straddling him, holding his face in his hands.

His jaw snapped shut, he'd been saying that out loud…Sora had been trying to talk to him for some time?

"That's it, just breath with me, you're okay," Sora whispered, taking Riku's hand to press to his chest, letting him feel him breath, and Riku did his best to match the rhythm.

"S…Sora…." He forced out, he was shaking, terrified, but Sora was there. Sora wasn't scared or angry, maybe he was imagining the changes?

"What's the last thing you remember?" Sora asked, not moving from his spot practically in Riku's lap.

Riku frowned, trying to work out what was real in his latest memories. "The Beast? A fight…you were there, in a black coat…you, uh, you….kissed me?" he asked, daring a quick look at Sora who just grinned at him, so that had been real. "Kairi? Pain." He looked up again, picking at the blanket over him, and Sora took his hand again.

"Yeah, I found you at the Beast's castle and the two of us went back to the Islands to see Kairi. I'd just brought her to you on the Play Island when the Organisation attacked, they wanted to take her, as bait for me. You used your body as her shield and were knocked out. Axel, he used to be one of them, showed up to help, he gave Kairi a potion for you, but another member showed up and stopped her. She broke free and Axel yanked her back but…it left you undefended. They took you instead of Kairi," Sora explained.

Good, better him than Kairi. The Organisation? Right, the guys Yen Sid had told them about, that he'd spotted here and there on different worlds while trying to find Sora.

"They…they hurt you Riku, they tried to draw out Ansem's Darkness that was still in your heart. You fought him, you called out to me and Kairi and we gave you everything we could. You won but…your body…"

"Is his," Riku whispered. "I'm him."

"No!" Sora glared at him, and then his hand was pressed to Riku's chest. "Your heart is still yours, Riku. You aren't him." Sora shocked him by leaning in and pressing his lips to his, how could he kiss that body? It should disgust him!

"Sora's right," came a familiar, if sleepy sounding, voice, and Riku slowly turned his head to see Kairi sitting up from a cot. She stood and stretched before walking over, glaring at Sora. "You were meant to wake me up."

"Sorry," Sora ducked his head, and she smiled.

She looked back at him, her smile soft now, and then she reached out, and Riku fought not to pull away, scared of contaminating her. She was a Princess of Heart! He should disgust her, scare her, but there was nothing but…love in her expression. "I'm so sorry Riku...if you hadn't been protecting me then you wouldn't have gotten hurt. They'd never have managed to take you."

He shook his head. "It's not your fault."

She gently touched his cheek, her hand felt so small against his skin. She smiled, lips trembling slightly, and then she shocked him by leaning in and pressing her lips to his. "We love you Riku," she whispered. "No matter what you look like, you're still Riku."

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Maleficent looked towards the town, a small smile curving her lips. Good, Riku had returned. She could feel both Merlin and their shared pupil as well as…the girl Riku had done so much to try and save. Perhaps they could heal him where her magic had failed.

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Leon and Cloud worked together, shoving aside debris, revealing a half collapsed doorway and path beyond, leading towards the castle. They went to work clearing the path of rubble and Heartless. Hopefully it was the entrance they had been looking for and Ienzo would soon have access to the lab and equipment necessary to remove the boy, Ventus', heart from Sora.

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Riku hesitated in the doorway, eyes drifting from person to person, recognising them all from his previous visit, plus Donald and Goofy. He wanted to run, to hide, but he felt Sora and Kairi squeeze his hands in support, gently tugging him into the room. To his amazement, he was welcomed warmly, no one hesitating or flinching. Maybe the new clothing helped? Ansem…Xehanort's Heartless' clothing had been replaced by stuff he liked, just sized for his altered body, and the feeling of such light magic against his skin did make him feel a bit better. It didn't hurt and that gave him hope that he wasn't lost to the Darkness…so did Kairi and Sora's touch.

Soon he was squished between them on the couch, a plate of food balanced on his knees as the group chatted around him. He slowly relaxed into the cushions, just listening as Sora and Kairi leant against him. He felt truly safe for the first time in a long time.

TBC…