Next up, Sora and Riku's meeting in Traverse Town. Finding ones for Sora is hard, because while he's kind of – well, okay, really dumb sometimes, he does tend to make the best decision he can with the information he has. This is one of the exceptions.

And is it just me, or do these things keep getting longer?

Irreplaceable

"Okay, so, you're coming with us, right?" Sora asked hopefully. He grinned, practically bouncing from excitement. "We've got this awesome rocket. Wait 'til you see it!"

Riku held back a frown, not sure how to answer. This was Sora, after all, the best friend he'd been looking for. He wasn't sure about the two behind his friend, though. And that Keyblade thing... He felt a stab of something, and later he'd realize it was jealousy.

He was spared from having to think about it when the duck cut in. "No, he can't come."

Sora turned to the duck. "What?"

"Forget it!" Not sure what he was feeling, but filled with an overwhelming desire to not be here, Riku took advantage of his friend's distraction and quietly slipped away.

He was close enough to hear the argument still going on, though. Sora hadn't even noticed... "Oh, come on, he's my friend!"

"I don't care!"

That was when the other one chimed in. "He's gone!"

"Riku?" Riku chanced a peek around the corner of the wall he was behind, and saw Sora looking around, walking over to where he'd been standing. The brunette hung his head. "Nice going," he muttered sarcastically. He scowled over his shoulder at the duck. "I'm gonna go find him." Then he took off, running up the stairs back to the Second District.

"Sora!" The taller, dog-like one called, starting to follow the boy.

The duck shook his head. "Aww, let him go, Goofy."

"Now, Donald," Goofy said. "You know the king told us to stay with the one that had that there key."

"He'll be back," Donald retorted, crossing his arms. "He can't get to other worlds without us."

"Well, that's true, I guess," Goofy said reluctantly. "Still, did you really have to turn Sora down like that? Riku's his best buddy, after all, and Sora's our friend now, isn't he?"

"Looking after one of them's hard enough," Donald said, not giving in. "Let's just go meet Cid. Sora can find us later."

"Can ya at least think about it?" Goofy persisted, to which the duck gave an exasperated sigh and walked off.

Riku leaned against the wall, puffing out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. So those guys were only with Sora because of that Keyblade? And Sora was with them because they could travel the worlds. Then, maybe...

A familiar swirl of darkness formed beside him, and Maleficent walked through it. "So, child, have you found your friend?" she asked, the slightest lilt in her question making Riku's hackles rise.

He shot her a glare. She'd been helping him, but something about the witch just made his skin crawl. "Yeah, actually."

"Oh?" She arched an eyebrow, pointedly glancing around. "And where is he?"

Riku scowled. "Looking for me."

Maleficent laughed – a quiet, satisfied chuckle that unnerved Riku more than he'd think possible. "My, my. And after all your talk of not giving up, not abandoning him..."

Riku turned away abruptly, strides clipped as he walked to the door that led to the First District. Maybe he could head Sora off. Anything to get that smile off Maleficent's face. She didn't know what she was talking about. Sora hadn't forgotten him...

Unbeknownst to him, Maleficent's smile only grew wider as she watched him walk away.

Riku cut through the First District quickly, avoiding the few people in the plaza. Soon he was looking over the railing of the walkway around the upper level of the Second District, but he didn't see Sora anywhere.

Riku resisted the urge to call out for his friend – Sora was supposed to be looking for him, not the other way around – and vaulted over the railing, landing next to the small fountain. Had he already passed through this area? He hadn't gone to First District, so...

He was halfway through the door to the alleyway when another door slammed open above him. A second later, Sora's voice easily carried down to him, and probably across half the district, too. "Riku! Where are you?"

Before Riku could think about whether or not to answer – he wanted to answer, didn't he? – he heard the tell-tale sounds of Heartless appearing. "Not you guys again," Sora groaned. "I don't have time for this!"

Riku stayed where he was, listening to the sounds of the fight. He couldn't see anything, of course, but ever since stepping through the darkness at the islands, sometimes he'd been able to sort of... sense where things were. The Heartless were like small, flicking dots of shadow, going back and forth above him. Then the shadows started disappearing one by one, and Riku's sense gave out, leaving him with just the sounds. Which died out a minute later.

"Fighting on my own's harder than I thought," Sora panted. "Maybe I should get... No." His voice steadied. "I gotta find Riku." After another moment, footsteps took off, heading towards the other side of the district.

Riku finally came out of the doorway, seeing Sora already up the stairs at the end of the walkway, entering a tall white building. He was struck with a sudden foreboding, and for a split-second saw a flash of Sora falling to the ground as Shadows leaped towards him. As the Second District came back into focus, Riku felt something stir in the darkness, a quiet whisper slithering out from the depths.

Keyblade...

Before he knew it, Riku was running after Sora, jumping off a bench to lever himself back to the upper walkway. He heard Heartless forming behind him but ignored them, calling his sword to his hand as he kicked open the door to the gizmo shop.

A swarm of Heartless had surrounded Sora, who was steadily being backed into a corner as he tried to fend them off. "Freeze!" Sora yelled, pointing the Keyblade at the group. Shards of ice flew from the odd weapon, taking out a few of the creatures, but there were still too many for him to handle on his own. An Air Soldier dive-bombed the brunette, forcing him another step back.

Riku's eyes narrowed and, face set, he started in on the group from the other side. Two Shadows and a Yellow Opera fell before the group noticed him. Another Air Soldier and a Blue Rhapsody dived at him, and Riku dodged the first as he cut through the second. Close enough to risk it now, Riku tossed a potion towards Sora, calling to get his friend's attention. "Sora!"

Sora started, looking towards him and nearly taking a fireball to the face, barely blocking with the Keyblade in time. "Riku!?" He saw the potion sailing through the air and caught it, sending off another blast of ice magic – and since when did Sora know magic, anyway? – before quickly chugging the healing drink. "Thanks!" he called back, taking a step forward as he swung the Keyblade, finishing off the Red Nocturne that had attacked him.

It took the two of them a while, and more than a few potions and Cure spells tossed back and forth, but finally the Heartless stopped spawning and the swarm was defeated. The two boys grinned at each other, and it was like they were back on the island, sharing the accomplishment of a job well done. This felt good, felt right, him and Sora together again.

Sora's Keyblade vanished in a flash of light, and, breathing heavily, he plopped down on the ground where he stood, leaning back on one hand as the other wiped sweat from his forehead. He rolled his eyes as he looked up at Riku. "Man, even with the Keyblade I'm still not as strong as you," he complained, grinning.

Riku walked over and let his sword disperse into dark mist, sitting next to his friend. "Yeah, well," he said, trying to keep his breathing even – pride wouldn't let him admit how tired he was after the fight. "We can't all be this good." He flicked a hand through his bangs, giving Sora a cheeky grin.

It had the desired effect: Sora laughed. "Thanks, Riku. You really saved me." He looked down. "I'm glad you didn't leave," he added quietly.

"Hmm?" Riku looked over, drawing one leg up to his chest to rest an arm across his knee.

"I'm glad you didn't leave," Sora said again, not looking up. "That you came back."

"Hard not to hear you screaming for me," Riku said, voice still light.

Sora rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "I didn't want to lose you again."

"Well, you won't have to," Riku said. He punched Sora's shoulder. "You and me, we can head out together, look for Kairi. Then start traveling like we wanted."

Sora grinned, then paused, a strange and almost sad look coming on his face. "I gotta seal the Keyholes, too, or else there won't be any worlds to visit."

"Keyholes?" Riku repeated.

Sora nodded. "Leon and Aerith said that's what the Heartless are looking for. They need to go through the Keyhole to get to the world's heart. When they do, the world disappears." He held a hand in front of him, and with a soft ching the Keyblade reappeared. "The Keyblade's the only thing that can stop that from happening, by locking the Keyholes."

Riku frowned, remembering something from long ago. In your hand, take this key... "Sora, how did you get the Keyblade?"

Sora shrugged, weapon fading away once more. "It chose me, I guess. Yuffie said it does that. I sure didn't ask for it. It showed up in my hand on the island, after you..." Sora gave him a look that was a mix of worry and apology. "You know."

"I thought you came with me," Riku said, unable to keep the hurt out of his voice. Though that might explain why he'd shown up alone at Hollow Bastion...

"I tried!" Sora said, defending himself. "But I couldn't reach you, I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe – and then the Keyblade was just there, and there were these creepy voices, and –"

Riku frowned, and the other boy stopped, looking like nothing so much as a kicked puppy. "You were scared," the older boy said simply.

For a second Sora looked like he was going to deny it. Then he sighed and hung his head. "Yeah. It's just... it was so much like that weird dream I had. It felt wrong, Riku."

"It got us to the outside world," Riku countered. This freedom was worth some bad vibes, as far as he was concerned. Now... Now he could get stronger.

Strength for what?

"I know," Sora said. Blue eyes became pleading. "But don't disappear like that again, okay? Please?"

Riku slung an arm around Sora's shoulder, shaking him a little. "Don't worry, Sora. Nothing's gonna keep us apart."

Sora nodded, giving him a small smile. Then he winced, head rolling back. "Oh, man. I forgot about Donald." One hand covered his eyes as he groaned. "We gotta make him let you come, Riku. Maybe we can trick him into a vote, I bet Goofy'll be on our side."

Riku frowned, arm sliding away from Sora's shoulders. "We don't have to go with them, do we?"

Sora peeked out from between his fingers with one eye. "They've got the gummi ship. Donald can be a jerk, but he's not so bad after a while. And Goofy's okay."

Riku's frown deepened, something unpleasant stirring in his heart. "What if we didn't need a ship?"

"Huh?" Sora's hand dropped as he gave Riku a curious look. "You know, I swear I looked everywhere for you last time I was here..."

"I was on another world. There's... someone I know," Riku said carefully. "She's been helping me get from world to world. She was the one that told me I'd find you here."

"I gotta thank her, then," Sora said, smiling warmly. "I was seeing you guys even when you weren't there."

"You're quite welcome, child," Maleficent's soft voice drifted over.

Riku jolted, leaping to his feet. There, walking calmly towards them, was a familiar witch in a long black cloak. "Maleficent," he said coolly. What was it about her that set him off?

Next to him, Sora stood as well. "So you're the one that's been helping Riku?" he said, oblivious to his friend's attitude. "Nice to meet you!"

"It is a pleasure," Maleficent said, stopping a little ways away and bowing her head slightly. "Little wonder Riku was so determined to reunite with you. My, it seems like ages since I last met one of the Keyblade's chosen..."

Sora's head shot up, eyes wide with surprise. "You mean other people have used the Keyblade?"

Maleficent smiled. "Oh, yes. One of its wielders was quite helpful to me in the past."

"What are you doing here?" Riku cut in, eyes narrowing.

Maleficent looked shocked. "Why, I'm checking up on you, of course," she said, sounding wounded.

"Riku?" Sora asked quietly, finally noticing something might be wrong.

Riku gave a tight shake of his head. "Well, we're fine," he said to Maleficent. "And we've got a lot of catching up to do."

She arched an eyebrow, still smiling benignly. "You must be tired. Why not return to my castle and speak there?"

Sora's eyes lit up at the mention of a castle, but Riku quickly cut him off before he could say anything. "No, I think we'll stay here for tonight."

Maleficent studied him for a moment, then nodded, a sliver of disappointment marring her smooth voice. "Very well. I shall return for you later." She struck her staff against the ground, and in a flurry of black and green fire, disappeared.

"Whoa," Sora said. "Does she always do that?"

Riku grimaced. "Far as I know."

Sora looked over at him. "Is something wrong? You said she was helping you, but you weren't acting like she was your friend."

"That's because she's not a friend." Riku shook his head. "You and Kairi are the only friends I need. She's..." Creepy, obsessed with darkness, playing some weird game with me... "...not that nice."

"She seemed okay to me," Sora said. "And she knew someone else that had the Keyblade! Maybe she could tell us more about it!"

"Forget it, Sora," Riku said. "I found you, so now the two of us can start looking for Kairi."

For a moment, Riku could see the confusion and doubt in his friend's eyes. Then it cleared, and Sora nodded, smiling. "Alright. Then let's go find Donald and Goofy."

Riku frowned. "I meant just the two of us."

Sora blinked. "But if we're not going with our friends, how are we supposed to get to another world?"

Riku paused. He hadn't really thought that through, had he? But he didn't want to be with those other two, and he didn't want Sora anywhere near Maleficent, either. "We'll figure something out. This was going to be our adventure, remember?"

Sora tilted his head, confused again. "But aren't you supposed to make lots of friends on an adventure?"

Riku opened his mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say to that. "I just want to find Kairi first," he finally managed.

Sora nodded, easily accepting the reason. "Okay, so let's get to the ship –"

Why wasn't Sora getting it? "I don't want to go with them," Riku said hotly.

Which just confused Sora again. "Why? Donald didn't really mea-"

"Because you're my friend," Riku snapped.

Sora blinked. "Of course I am. It doesn't matter how many friends I make, none of them are you. You're always going to be my best friend, Riku."

To protect the things that matter. You know, like my friends.

And just like that, the coil of something dark that had been tightening around his heart unwound. "Promise?" Riku asked, not caring how much he sounded like a little kid right then.

"Yeah, of course," Sora said. Without a second's hesitation, he held out a pinky.

Smiling in relief, Riku hooked his own around Sora's. Okay, so it was way more childish than he'd allowed himself to be in ages. But... wasn't that half the point of going to the outside world? He wanted to get stronger, but he wanted to live on his own terms, too. He wanted to live like Sora did, just following his heart. "Cross your heart?" he added playfully.

Sora grinned. "And hope to die."

Riku nodded. "Okay." He swallowed hard, nervous about what Sora would say to his sudden change of mind. "Why don't you show me that rocket?"

But Sora just grinned wider. "Follow me!" he said, and took off running.

I'm, uh, gonna stop this one here before it gets even more out of control. Suffice to say, Sora threatened to not go with Donald and Goofy if Riku couldn't (especially when Cid's gummi engineering came to light), Goofy did vote for Riku to come, and Maleficent isn't a happy villain with this turn out. Which is too bad, because this really could have ended horribly in her favor, what with her enticing Sora with both a castle and knowledge about the Keyblade. Not to mention her power over sleep. If she hadn't been so determined to keep Riku kinda-sorta on her side, she might have just dropped Sora right there.

And for anyone wondering about Riku's "sense" and premonition. This is a head-canon of mine. Basically, well... You know how Terra had those visions a couple times in BBS, and he and Aqua kept commenting on the light in people's hearts? I'm thinking it's a Keyblade Master thing. Which means, as Terra's Successor, Riku's got it, too, though his is tied to darkness at first due to that dark portal thing. Honestly, I made it more prevalent here than I would have otherwise to get Riku's butt in gear, but it's still pretty weak (Ansem "helps" later). This sense would also be part of the reason for the blindfold – and explain how he can function while wearing it besides "becuz I'm super special awsom3!1!"

Sorry for the long note. Next chapter will almost certainly be shorter.