Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 30 already! Wow this is getting long

Chapter 30

Kairi smiled and kissed Riku's cheek, stroking his cheek with one hand. His skin was cooler than it should be, although nowhere near the chill of Sora's, it was also harder, his face more angular.

"Kairi…" he looked so lost that it hurt.

"It's okay Riku, I'll see you in the morning." She smiled at him, and then moved to Sora who pulled her in against his body, kissing her, softer than normal, but they didn't want to overwhelm Riku too much by letting him see just how comfortable they were with each other's body's. "Night. Don't stay up all night talking," she warned before going into her room.

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Riku let Sora drag him into a well-used bedroom, it wasn't as messy as Sora's room back home but it was still obviously Sora's. The desk in the corner was covered in a mess of books and papers, as well as things he didn't recognise. There was a closet against one wall, a long sleeved dark red shirt peeking out the partially closed door, a door set into the wall led to what he assumed was a bathroom, and in the centre of the room was a very large and comfortable looking bed which was actually the neatest part of the room, looking almost as if Sora never used it because the Sora he remembered never made his bed. Oddly, unlike the other rooms in the magical house, there were no windows. Why would Sora have the bedroom with no window when he was like a plant, soaking up the sunlight whenever he could?

He glanced again at the bed and then at Sora who smiled at him, going over to the chair to take off his shoes. He then went to the drawers set into the closet and dug through one. "Here you go! Looks like the house put stuff in here for you too." He pulled out some loose pants and a top obviously made for sleeping in and tossed them at Riku who caught them. "Want the bathroom first?"

Riku stared at the clothing, sure enough it looked big enough for his altered body. Right, magically sentient house, that wasn't creepy at all. "Sora…I…" He nearly jumped when Sora touched his arm, looking at him seriously.

"The bed is huge Riku, plenty of room even if you sprawl. I haven't been sleeping much lately," Sora shrugged slightly. "You can have the bed to yourself for a lot of the night if you're more comfortable. We've shared a lot before Riku, nothing's changed."

"Hasn't it?" he grimaced, looking down at his body…at Ansem's body.

Sora reached up, clasping his shoulder awkwardly, standing on his tip toes to do so. "It hasn't," he argued. "You're still Riku….well, okay something has changed, we've kissed." Sora blushed slightly and Riku…had to admit it was kind of adorable. "It doesn't mean that sharing a bed means anything more than it used to. I don't think either of us is ready for that."

Riku snorted, moving away. "As if anyone would want… I'll uh, get changed," he retreated into the bathroom before Sora could say anything else. He ended up taking another shower just to kill time, finding a second set of all needed toiletries already present.

He remembered Sora kissing him at the Beast's Castle, his awkward explanation about kissing Kairi too, the way she'd hugged him on the Island, the soft kiss she'd given him when he'd woken earlier and then the one on his cheek…how could they stand to touch His body? He…he loved them both, it made sense, explained why he'd been jealous of both of them at different times, but it didn't matter anymore. How could they have anything when he was in the body of their enemy? Of a monster? There could never be anything more than hugs or kisses like those, not what he'd had dreams of since puberty hit, as much as he'd denied and ignored those dreams when awake. They'd realise sooner or later that he wasn't good enough, would pair off properly, and he would accept it, encourage it even.

He left the bathroom, dressed to sleep, to find Sora already lying in bed, hands beneath his head. Sora looked over and grinned at him, the covers left down on the other side of the bed for him. Riku hesitated, he shouldn't even let himself have this much but…he just wanted human contact for a little while, even if it was selfish. So he got into the bed, laying on his side, and when Sora shifted closer, he let it happen, even cautiously wrapping an arm around him, like he used to when they were little and he had to protect Sora from everything.

Sora turned his head enough to kiss his cheek. "Good night," he whispered, entwining his fingers with those on the hand Riku had resting on Sora's stomach.

"Good night," he forced passed a tight throat. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, knowing he needed to sleep but it wasn't easy with the warmth soaking into him from Sora's form. Eventually though, he drifted off.

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Sora lay in Riku's arms all night, soothing him whenever it seemed like a nightmare was starting, knowing he needed the rest. He had the sinking feeling he knew what Riku had been thinking while procrastinating in the bathroom. He didn't care what Riku looked like, his was the far more monstrous form to look at after all, but Riku didn't know that. He was scared to tell him, to let him see what he'd become, but…maybe it'd help Riku accept his own transformation? Not that his was permanent, Merlin was sure there was a way to either undo it, or transfer his heart to a Replica once they had some. The Replica would take on the appearance his heart saw as his after all.

Cloud and Leon were sure they had found the path around to the right entrance. If Kairi and Riku would be okay alone in the morning, he'd help clear it. The sooner Ienzo could get to work the better, not just for Riku but for Ventus too. Sora was scared that his being a vampire would affect Ventus' heart, would he hate Sora if he was freed only to now be a vampire too? The longer it took, the more chance of permanent side effects and the worse the effects would be.

Sora eventually rolled so he was facing Riku, carefully reaching out to touch long white hair, finding the three wing things were still there, despite Riku having washed it and then lying on it all night. He was glad that Riku wasn't stuck with the Heartless' clothing at least, Riku could express his own likes through that at least. Maybe they could cut his hair if he wanted, give him that much of a difference? Or would it just regrow to keep Xehanort's appearance?

He carefully moved his hand to trace over foreign features, not wanting to wake him up. He always had to be so careful when touching others, the illusion kept them from noticing anything, but if his claws cut someone, then they'd definitely notice the wound. He wasn't ready to tell Riku, not just yet, let him have at least a few days to settle in and get used to things before dumping that on him.

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Mickey sat back and sighed, pushing back the hood of his coat for the moment. He was worried, he hadn't heard from Sora in a while. He had heard from Master Yen Sid though who had relayed word that Donald and Goofy were with him…and that Riku was now the one who was missing, kidnapped by the Organisation. So he was searching for him. He didn't know what they would want with Riku but it couldn't be anything good. He felt sorry for the kids, every time they were reunited, something new tore them apart. Would the three ever be reunited? Or was fate replaying itself a decade later? No! He would not let what had happened to his friends happen to them too.

He blinked as a new message from his old Master arrived, blinking, and re-reading it to be sure. Merlin was claiming he was Sora's Master and didn't want Yen Sid interfering at all, including just meeting him, that was a bit odd. But it was the last line that had him in shock. Ventus' heart…was in Sora? Well, he had sheltered Kairi's for a time, but to do so for so long? He had to have been a very young child when Ventus lost his heart, unless it hadn't immediately found Sora. What kind of effect would that have on both of them? If only Aqua had told him where she was hiding Ven's body either before she left or when they'd been briefly reunited in the Realm of Darkness, he could retrieve it and they could find a way to move his heart from Sora and back to his own body. That just meant that once the Organisation was dealt with that he'd be finding a way back in to save her, not that he wouldn't be doing that even if she wasn't needed to find Ventus. No one deserved to be trapped there forever and he was very aware of how lucky he and Riku had been to escape so quickly.

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Kairi woke up alone which was a little disorientating since when he was at Merlin's, Sora made sure to slip back into her bed before she was due to wake, so they could have some time together. It took a second for her to remember why he wasn't there and she got up, checking her sleepwear, it was good enough. She left her room and slipped down the hall to knock on Sora's door which opened a second later, letting her inside.

Riku was asleep in the bed, huddled under the covers and from the look of it, Sora had been working on something at his desk. She walked into his arms, accepting a good morning kiss and happily returning it.

"How is he?" she whispered, knowing Sora could easily hear her no matter how quiet she was.

"Slept all night through, though there was what looked some nightmare on and off," he murmured into her ear to keep from disturbing Riku. "Want to get in with him? I'll bring you guys up some breakfast."

"You sure?" she eyed the bed, not wanting to make Riku uncomfortable.

"I think he's convinced himself that we won't want him like this after a while."

"So we'll have to push a bit, got it." She kissed him again, and then walked over to the bed, slipping under the covers carefully.

Good thing she'd worn sleep pants and a short sleeved shirt to bed last night and not one of the more daring outfits Yuffie had slipped her for them to enjoy. Sora definitely liked them, but they'd be way too much for Riku at the moment. She moved close to him, but not right against him, just close enough that she could gently take his hand, watching him sleep. She leant in and gently kissed him, wanting him to wake up to something comforting.

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Riku began to stir, sleep addled mind taking time to realise he was being kissed. He didn't want to wake up, didn't want it to end…a soft hand was on his face, radiating warmth…Kairi….it had to be Kairi he was dreaming of, he reached for her and then froze as he realised his body…his eyes snapped open and there she was, lying in front of him.

She opened her eyes and pulled back enough to smile at him. "Good morning," she whispered.

"You…why?"

She leant up on an elbow and reached out to brush some hair away from his face, Riku barely keeping from flinching back from her touch. "Riku," sadness was evident in her voice now and he felt bad for that. "I love you, you idiot. I don't care what you look like, you're still you, still the Riku I've always known. We both love you and we'll keep telling you until you get it."

He shook his head. "You're a Princess of Heart and I'm…I belong in the Darkness."

"No you don't!" She argued, and he wished he could believe her. "Yes, there's Darkness in you, but that's not all you are." Before he could move she kissed him again.

"Kairi's right," Sora's voice nearly made him jump and he looked to find him in the doorway with a tray of food. He walked over to the bed and somehow managed to get on the bed without dropping anything. "Breakfast is served," he announced theatrically, making Kairi giggle.

"You're not eating?" Riku asked in confusion when he realised Sora hadn't taken anything for himself.

"I've been up for a while so I already ate," Sora told him, simply shifting to lean against his side.

Why couldn't they understand and keep themselves safe by keeping their distance?

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Kairi glanced at Sora, he was right, Ansem's face wasn't the best for expressing emotion, but she could see it in those strangely coloured eyes, their words weren't getting through to him. She knew Sora was nervous about telling Riku what he was now but...it may be the best way to show Riku that appearance didn't matter.

"Sora," she whispered, and he bit his lip, surely that hurt with his fangs?

Riku looked between them, he'd heard her? Seemed that form came with better senses or something.

Sora sighed and shifted nervously. "Kairi…"

"It could help," she pushed, and he grimaced.

"What?" Riku asked, tone wary.

"I was going to tell him in a few days," he argued, and she rolled her eyes.

"You were procrastinating."

"I was giving him time to settle and deal with what happened," he responded.

"GUYS!" Riku glared at them and they settled back. "Tell me what? What's going on?" he demanded.

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Sora stared at the bed, his heart would be pounding if it could still beat. Okay so maybe Kairi was kind of right, he didn't want to tell Riku, not yet. Yeah, Riku currently looked like Xehanort, but it wasn't permanent, it didn't change him…Sora was different, inside and out. Riku just hadn't been around long enough to see it yet. What if Riku didn't love him anymore after spending proper time with him?

He looked up as a large, tanned, hand covered his. Riku looked worried and that just made him feel bad. "Sora, are you alright?" he asked, and Sora swallowed.

"I…" he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You think that because you gave into the Darkness that we can't love you, but it's not true. You're not the only one touched by Darkness. I…I didn't want this, it wasn't my choice. What She did…" he looked away and then Kairi was there, leaning against him, kissing his cheek.

"It's okay Sora," she whispered.

"Sora?"

He looked up to find Riku staring at him, eyes narrowed in concern.

"You can't…" he shook his head. "There's no Darkness in you."

"That's an illusion, thanks to Merlin, to hide what happened to me." He reached for the armband, feeling Riku's gaze follow his hand. He forced himself to look Riku in the eye, terrified over how he would react, and then Riku took his hand, squeezing it gently. "I'd never hurt you," he promised softly, able to smell Riku's fear, and then pulled off the band, the illusion falling as he did.

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Riku was scared, what could have happened to Sora? When? He held onto Sora's hand, wanting him to be okay. It hurt that Sora felt the need to tell him he'd never hurt Riku, of course he wouldn't. Riku had been the one to hurt Sora, all Sora had ever done was defend himself.

He froze as Sora's image wavered and then vanished, the person in front of him looking almost like a stranger. No…his face was right, his hair…..but everything else was different. He saw something move behind him and then a wing shifted briefly into view, and…he could feel sharp nails, no, claws, resting against his own skin where they were holding hands.

"Sora?" he whispered, trying to take it all in.

Sora looked up at him again and he froze as crimson eyes locked onto him. There was…there! Flecks of blue were visible in the red, all that was left of the beautiful bright blue he remembered.

"It's still me," Sora pleaded.

Riku reached out with his other hand, touching a pale cheek, biting back a gasp at how cold his skin was. He could see the tips of fangs poking out under Sora's closed lips and they kind of almost looked cute. Riku closed his eyes, he could feel it now, the Darkness inside Sora, different to what he'd felt from others; wilder, feral. Sora had always shone so brightly but now…there was still Light there, in the core of his heart. He opened his eyes, seeing the fear in Sora's, that he'd turn him away…the same fear he held. He reached for him and Sora fell into his arms, curling into his larger form, and Riku wrapped his arms around him, being careful of the leathering wings on his back.

"Who did this to you?" he demanded, one of his hands moving up to run through soft brown hair. His own transformation was his own fault, he had let the Darkness in. From what Sora said, and all his years of knowing his best friend, Sora hadn't been willing, someone had done this to him. He felt Sora shake his head against his chest.

"She knocked Sora out and he didn't wake again until he was back at the house Merlin used in Traverse Town," Kairi told him, reaching out to gently stroke a wing, Riku feeling Sora shiver at her touch.

Wait…Traverse Town? That was… "How long?" he asked in shock.

He felt Sora shift and loosened his hold, Sora sitting up, glancing up at his face before looking away. "Technically, it's been years. Merlin had me in a time spell so that I could recover quickly enough to finish the fight. When I first woke up…" he shuddered slightly. "I don't remember it, I was more animal than anything. I had to re-learn a lot of things…"

Riku listened as Sora haltingly explained what he'd gone through…what he'd become. A vampire, he'd thought they were nothing but myths. He wished they were, for Sora's sake.

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Kairi smiled as she listened to them, utterly relieved that Riku hadn't pushed Sora away, had embraced him, comforted him. Seeing him in combat or feeding would be the true test of how much he could accept but she didn't think he'd take it badly after being allowed to think and consider things.

"Does everyone know?" Riku asked at the end.

"The local group does, Naminé too, but Daichi doesn't," she answered for Sora to give him a break. She thought it over. "Some people in Deep Jungle do because Sora got hurt there. The other Princess' know something, because we can sense his Darkness. I think that's it?"

"Pretty much…except for Hercules and any gods there that can sense it," Sora shifted, and she remembered the last person who knew.

"Oh, right…Maleficent knows too."

"What?" Riku looked at them in alarm.

"She knows. We ah, ran into each other, and she could sense Merlin's magic on me. And, well… there's some Light magic I can't use anymore, or it's really hard to, so…"

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He waited for Riku's reaction, feeling him grip his hand tight enough that it'd hurt if he was still human.

"You're learning from her?" Riku demanded.

"Yeah, not like there's a lot of possible teachers around for that part. When you were…possessed, we came to a kind of understanding, she warned me you were possessed and thought maybe…I could free you. She cares about you, in her own Faerie way. She actually found you and Naminé in the Dark Realm and took you to the Castle, but you ran before she could talk to you or let me know you were there," he explained. "She isn't human Riku, no more than I am anymore, but she was never human in the first place."

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Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined he'd hear Sora defending Maleficent in any way. But Sora believed that she actually cared about him…he'd wanted that when he'd been with her, now he didn't know. It hadn't been her fault he'd been possessed, she'd warned him multiple times. He didn't remember being at her Castle but he had no reason not to believe Sora. Still, he wasn't sure he ever wanted to see her again.

Sora stating so nonchalantly that he wasn't human anymore was jarring, but it was undeniable. Even after Sora slipped the arm band back on, the image of the human Sora was a barely visible overlay of his true form. Sora was…Sora was technically dead, and he didn't know how to deal with that. Because of his actions, his best friend…the boy he loved…had died a horrible death. His heart no longer beat, he couldn't eat or sleep…how did Sora not hate him?

He glanced up at him, looking for any sign of that, but there was nothing but nervousness and…longing. He thought Riku would hate him? For something he'd had no control over. He hadn't asked to be turned. He glanced at Kairi, finding her watching them both, worried. She amazed him, he could tell form the way it had been said, the other Princesses hadn't just sensed how Sora had changed, they had recoiled from it, had Kairi at first? Or had she trusted in Sora, instinctively known since her heart had been with him when it happened? They were both beings of Darkness….and yet she still loved them, trusted them.

Riku reached out for her hand and she didn't hesitate, smiling at him, even as he reached for Sora with his other hand. The two joined their free hands, completing the circle. "You really…" he looked down, taking a deep breath. "What if there isn't a way to undo this? If it's permanent? How could I ever go home?"

"If you don't want to, then we won't," Kairi answered, shocking him. She grinned at him, "besides, technically this is where I'm from."

"Riku, the only reason I can step foot back on the Islands is because of magic, sunlight and vampires don't usually mix. And I am never telling my Mom! Talk about destroying the World Order," Sora grimaced. "If you don't want to go back, then we'll make a new home, here or any other World we all agree on. Whether this," he nodded at Riku's form, "is permanent or not."

"Okay," he agreed softly. He would try, for them he would do anything.

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Dai fought not to flinch or run as Riku stepped into the room, looking at him curiously before freezing.

"What?"

Great, hadn't they told him about Daichi? "Uh, hi," he offered awkwardly.

"Who are you?" Riku asked warily, and Dai knew he was close to calling Soul Eater.

"Daichi," he answered. "Guess they didn't explain?" And Sora had told him that Riku didn't remember Castle Oblivion. "I am…was the Replica of you that the Organisation made at Castle Oblivion. Sora and Axel found me and brought me back here. Merlin saved my life and they studied me for the Replica's they need. It was Sora's idea for me to pick a new name and the makeover, so I could be my own person," he explained hurriedly. "I don't…exactly have your memories. They were altered to include Naminé instead of Kairi and then broken to stop doing something stupid," not that he thought he could have killed Sora.

There was something about Sora, the longer he was around him, that screamed power…like he was more than just a normal human. If it had come down to it, he knew he would have lost to the older male.

"Daichi," Riku murmured, and he nodded.

"Or Dai," he shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep from fidgeting.

"Okay," Riku nodded, even having been made from him, Dai was finding Xehanort's form hard to read, until a small smile flitted across his lips. "Nice to meet you."

Daichi grinned and then offered his hand and Riku took it. they both started as the door slammed open, Axel and Donald storming inside, Axel freezing when he saw Riku. "It's Riku!" Dai called, seeing the flames beginning to burn around Axel's hands.

"Riku?" Axel looked between them and then threw his hands up. "I give up! Tell Sora Halloween Town and Santa were fixed. I'm going to go sleep for a month!" he marched off towards the living quarters.

"Okay…" Dai sighed and then looked at Riku. "That was Axel, he helped Kairi on the beach and tried to save you both. He was with the Organisation but you know Sora," he shrugged and Riku chuckled.

"Yeah."

"Is it really…Riku?" Donald asked from the doorway, looking between them warily.

"It sure is," Goofy answered as he walked in, leading his friend away to explain…which may end up needing more explaining later.

TBC…

This is not where I originally planned to have Sora confess, but it just didn't feel realistic for him to not tell Riku for so long once they had him back.