Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own Kingdom Hearts. I'm just a rather creative person with an overactive imagination.

Elemental Hearts - Inside/Outside

Chapter 10: Split Up Pt. 2

Kouichi's first reaction was a perfectly natural one, given the position he was currently in: scream, even though it was muffled by the hand over his mouth, and struggle with whoever it was holding him. He couldn't see them, but they were strong, strong enough to hold him even as he struck out with both arms and the Staff…

"Shhh." A familiar, longed-for voice whispered kindly into his ear. "It's okay, Nii-san. I'm not going to hurt you."

For a moment, it took the elder twin a while to process this voice, however familiar it might be. Then he twisted around, coming face-to-face with an almost mirror-like reflection of himself, smiling at him kindly. "K-Kouji…?"

"Yeah, it's me." The younger twin pulled away just a few steps, putting just enough space between them that his brother could see everything. Kouichi took in every detail carefully - the face, identical to his, though bearing several more scratches, the clothes, somewhat tattered but still familiar, the stance, every muscle controlled and calculating, never a wrong movement in anything the body did…

Kouichi recognized all of it as though he had seen it just hours before, and though it all took a moment to register, his face soon spread into a bright, excited smile. "Kouji! It is you!"

He threw his arms around his brother's shoulders, dropping the Staff in his eagerness for contact. Kouji seemed to be just a little surprised, but his face soon spread into a smile and he folded his arms around the other, patting his back gently. "It's okay, Nii-san…"

"Okay? This is so much better than okay!" Kouichi was laughing, the sound just bubbling out of him thanks to joy and the fear that had filled his heart just moments before. "I've missed you so much, Kouji…I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Me too, Nii-san." Kouji smirked just a bit into the side of his brother's hair, tensing his arms to pull the hug in even tighter, almost as though he was intent on keeping Kouichi exactly where he was. "Me, too…"

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

"Riku! Riku, are you all right? Riku!"

Riku groaned and forced his eyes open to a half-covered position languidly. He could see the King, or at least his vague outline against the gleaming not-light, but his head was ringing so badly that it was painful for him to focus on anything beside the sound filling his ears painfully. "…Mickey?"

"Hold still." The King instructed, attempting to tie a bandage so that the light gash in the back of Riku's head was pulled closed. "There. We'll let that set a bit until we find Kouichi. His Cura's got a better effect on that kinda thing than mine does."

At the younger boy's name, Riku sat up so sharply that he nearly knocked Mickey over. "Where is he?"

"Riku, hold on…"

"Where's Kouichi?" Riku was on his feet before the mouse-King could stop him, groping for the Soul Stealer, which he found in due time, and the Shield, which was stubbornly attached to his arm, as always. "Mickey, where is he? We have to find him, the Heartless-"

Mickey was suddenly in the air, jumping to Riku's eye level for a split second before planting his hands on the boy's shoulders and pushing him into a seated position on the ground. "You need to calm down, Riku. You're hurt, and we're not going to be able to help Kouichi if you make it worse."

It was then Riku realized that he, being mostly human and, thus, lacking Mickey's almost-cartoonish invulnerability, had several dozen cuts on his arms, shoulders and legs, and his neck was bruised painfully. He reluctantly stopped trying to get to his feet and allowed Mickey to do his best for the wounds, trying to figure out exactly where they were in the process.

They were at the bottom of what seemed to be a small canyon - no, a crevice, a crack in the rocks between the two peaks. The floor of this crack was scattered in rocks, indicating that this was an area of constant landslides. The pile of relatively small stones that they were resting on now had acted as a kind of a cushion, keeping their damage at a decent minimum. The crevice's opening was relatively small and easily overlooked, in fact, he could see Heartless leaping over the gap high above them. The not-light of the Darkness was directly above them, glaring down from whatever sun-like source it seemed to spring from, indicating that two hours had passed since they'd fallen down here.

Two…hours…

Kouichi had been carried off just before they were shoved here. He'd spent two hours alone…alone with the Heartless, or worse, with that bastard Xantha. Riku didn't know what that freak of a…'Nobody,' whatever that mean…wanted with his friend, but he was willing to bet that it wasn't good.

And beside all that…Kouichi hated being alone.

"We need to find him."

"You're right." Mickey sighed, tightening a bandage around the silver-haired boy's bruise neck. "Just give me a minute and…there!"

The bandage was snipped off, and the mouse-King hopped backwards. Riku sat up, flexed his fingers and hands to make sure that everything was still attached the right way, then pushed onto his feet to make sure of the same thing on his lower appendages. For a moment, he thanked whatever Power-that-Be had built him somewhat sturdier than your average teenager.

Once he was certain that everything was in its proper place, he turned his head to look up the chasm wall for a way out. "Pretty steep."

"But they're pretty close together." Mickey measured the space with his eyes and found it somewhat satisfactory. "I can get up there pretty easily, I think. But you, Riku…"

"I'll just climb." The boy gripped his weapon tightly in his fist, a bit of determination rippling through the grip and visibly trembling the blade. "You need to get up there, and fast. Kouichi could be in danger, and the sooner one of us gets to him, the better."

Mickey look concerned, probably about the wounds his friend had sustained in their fall. "But Riku…"

"I'll be right behind you, you don't have to worry about me." The boy pushed a confident grin onto his face and gave Mickey a light wink. "Besides, nobody can beat me. Remember?"

The King lifted a surprised eyebrow for just a moment, then laughed. "All right, Riku, if you say so. I'll see you at the top!"

He leapt up onto the nearest bolder, aiming his eyes for the top of the crevice. It took him a moment to judge the angle, as careful and cautious as ever. Then he kicked off and shot forward, bouncing like a rubber ball until he disappeared over the top.

Riku brushed his bangs out of his eyes - noting, with some entertainment, that they were getting ridiculously long - and moved to the wall. He dug the Soul Stealer into the rock, pulling himself up and silently praying that Kouichi could hold on until they got to him.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

At that moment, Kouichi was making his way down the mountain with his brother in tow and talking almost non-stop. For a normally quiet person, this was almost difficult to do, occasionally having to stop and catch his breath or stumbling over his words, but there was just so much he wanted to tell Kouji. It felt like it had been so long…

"You have to meet Riku-kun," he said out of the blue, cutting off practically in the middle of a sentence to turn and smile at his brother. "Mickey-san, too. They've been so nice to me, and I still haven't paid them back for saving me before. But I really want you to meet Riku-kun, I think you'll like him. You're a lot alike."

Kouji's expression was cool and encouraging. "Oh, really?"

"Definitely!" Kouichi nearly giggled at the thought and twisted back around, hopping off a ledge to the next level of twisting pathway. "Every time I started to miss you, he'd do something, and it was like you were with me. It was so close sometimes that I'd start laugh, and he and Mickey-san thought I was crazy."

There was silence for a moment, and Kouichi felt an uncertain lump form in his stomach, which he tried to shove away with a light cough. Then Kouji spoke. "You said that they were fighting when you left them, didn't you? Aren't you worried about them?"

"A bit," Kouichi shrugged some, glancing back at his brother out of the corner of his eye. "But Mickey-san and Riku-kun are very strong. I'm certain they'll be able to handle anything that the Heartless can throw at them, even in a situation like this."

"Really?"

"Yes." Kouichi stumbled a bit, braced himself with the Staff, and picked up without missing a step. His brother said nothing. "They're both very strong, especially Riku-kun. Mickey-san says that nobody can beat him, not even the strongest Heartless or the Keyblade Master. They've both been taking good care of me. If it wasn't for them, I don't think I could have made it through this world."

Another few steps of silence, the only noise that of shoes crunching against the ground. "So you like him, then?"

"Riku-kun?" Kouichi felt his cheeks redden a bit, though he couldn't have told himself why. "Well…yes. He's a little hard to get close to, I'll admit, but once you get to know him he can be very…sweet. He's been so kind to me, and he's so strong and loyal to his friends. I've never met anybody that loyal before. He really is nice…"

A light chuckle echoed behind him, a cold one, one that sent a cold ripple up his spine. "That's really sweet. You've developed a crush since the last time I saw you."

Kouichi nearly gagged on his own tongue at the putrid taste that suddenly filled his mouth. It didn't come from the figure behind him, no, it was in front of him, cutting off his escape route. The boy behind him had no taste, no scent. There was nothing there, nothing about him…

"You're…not Kouji."

The boy smirked. "Bingo."

"How very clever."

A hand reached out, and the moment it wrapped around Kouichi's left wrist he twisted, striking at it with the Staff. But his attack was blocked in mid-strike, giving him a good look at the blonde-haired, red-masked, pale face of the man who was holding him. Purple lips curled back in a smirk, revealing sharp white fangs, and the gloved hands gripping his wrists tightening in a painful manner.

"Hm. Aggression. That's certainly unusual, for one of the Boys."

The vampire twisted the boy around so that he was holding him from behind, his arms pulled away from his body. Kouichi pulled, struggling with his arms and fighting with all his might, before gripping the Staff even tighter. "Firaga!"

A fireball burst from the center of the Staff, large enough that the Kouji-fake only barely slipped out of the way in time. He was laughing as he slipped back into place, and Kouichi's eyes widened when he realized that he recognized that face. "You!"

"That's right." Xantha smirked, his long, skunk-print ponytail now blowing free in the wind. "That trick's getting easier and easier every time I do it. Soon, nobody won't even be able to tell the difference."

"As it should be." The vampire chuckled, still holding the boy tightly.

Kouichi's mind stumbled over their words, but self-preservation rose up against curiosity, with a rise of another spell. "Fir-"

Xantha moved quickly this time, taking his club and slamming it the boy's gut. Kouichi's spell died on his lips with a strangled gasp as the air was knocked from his lunged violently, and he doubled over as best as the hold he was currently in would let him.

"None of that." Xantha sniggered, slipping his weapons back into their holsters at his belt. "We're not here to hurt anybody, now are we?"

The vampire's smirk widened. "No, certainly not…"

Kouichi took in a breath, painfully, and hacked as he did so. He moaned lightly, feeling a burning liquid rise into the back of his throat, fighting the urge to wretch in front of the enemy. Xantha saw this and laughed, leaning down to muss the boy's hair. "Auw, I think he's going to be sick, Myotismon."

"It would be a pity," the creature…a Digimon, Kouichi realized blurrily…sniffed lightly, " if your new shell were to become soiled just before its new occupant takes up residence."

Shell…? Occupant…?

"Okay, okay, I get it." Xantha sniffed lightly, pulling back his sleeves lightly. "Be ready for your end of the deal."

"As long as you don't drop the Heart. It's too precious to loose."

"Do you think I would? Please. I'm not that sloppy."

Kouichi hacked once more, finally drawing in enough of a breath that he could muster up a few rough word. "Wait…stop…What're you…"

"Brace yourself, kiddo." The older teenager smirked, popping his wrists as a black, vine-like glow appeared from his sleeves, twining around his hands and fingers. "I hope this hurts a lot."

And with that, he drew his dark, glowing hands back and thrust them deep into Kouichi's chest.

Kouichi gagged as the strange darkness spread over his chest, making it all too easy for Xantha to dig his hands in deeper and deeper. The Nobody's fingers suddenly curled around something, starting to pull, and stars danced in front of Kouichi's eyes at the pain. Before he quite realized what was happening, he found that his consciousness was slowly slipping away, with darkness eating away at the edge of his sight, finding it so hard to think. Some part of him realized what was happening, but it was too late to stop it now. Everything around him was fading away…

"Kouji…" He whispered, his throat dry, his last thoughts before he blacked out vocalizing painfully. "Riku…kun…"

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Riku missed his next hand-hold, only not falling back down the half of the crevice that he'd scaled so far because his other hand was still holding the Soul Stealer, which was buried firmly in the rock wall. He missed, not because he was rushing or anything of the likes, but because a sudden nauseating feeling had spread across his entire body.

He grit his teeth and groaned lightly, putting a hand to his head. It felt as though a jolt of electricity had shot through his entire body, and for a moment, his senses remained numb. In the white noise that filled his head soon afterwards, there was one thought that managed to come out somewhat clear:

"Kouichi…"

Whatever this was that had hit him, he could only come up with two things: Something had happened to Kouichi, and it wasn't good.

He needed to get up there now.

Riku twisted around, his resolve even stronger than it had been before, to grab the handhold that he had missed before. It was not the easiest climb in the world, by any means, and it wasn't made any easier by the wounds on his legs and arms, but he had gotten so far in so short a time…He had to keep going.

He pushed himself forward, gripping the slipper rocks as best he could. There were more and more Heartless now, and it seemed as though they multiplied by every inch he pushed upward. They didn't seem like they were looking for him or Kouichi or the King for that matter, but at the same time, they didn't look like they were picking a fight. They looked as though they were…celebrating something. Almost as though they were dancing, on their way to some macabre festival, and his little gap was just a small pit stop on the way to their destination…

As he reached the very top, planning to slip up and attack the nearest Heartless before they knew he was there, Riku's grip slipped on the rock, and left him dangling by the grip of the Soul Stealer. The light gasp that fell from his lips drew the attention of a Neoshadow, who slithered up to the edge and gazed down at him with hungry, beady gold eyes, obviously looking through his body to the tasty heart concealed beneath it.

The Heartless loomed over him, its long claws searching for him with long, dangerous slashes that would have taken Riku's head off, had he not been able to move as quickly as he did. But with the Soul Stealer lodged in the rocks, holding him up, the Shield was the only thing protecting him, and from this angle all he could do was hope it held out…

There was a slash, and Riku looked over the edge of his shield just in time to see the Heartless disappear with a curl of black smoke. Then a face appeared over the edge, clutching the thick black staff close as wide blue eyes silently expressed concern.

The silver-haired boy had to blink several times before his mind could put together all of the factors, and he still didn't understand the conclusion. "Kouichi…?"

"Oh, Riku!" The younger boy lay the staff on the ground and reached out for the other. "Grab my hand, please. I'll pull you up."

Riku twisted a bit, still trying to figure out what was happening, and reached out to grasp the other's hand. Just as the smaller fingers curled around his gloved hand, a dark shadow behind the younger boy caught his eye. "Watch it!"

Kouichi's head turned back, just a bit, but the effort was not necessary. Mickey appeared so suddenly that Riku almost let go of both his supports, he was so startled by the Mouse-Kings leaping over the crevice, tumbling through the air, Keyblade drawn and more than ready to come down hard on the Neoshadow and dispel it almost instantly.

Mickey landed as nimbly as ever, his stance open and protective of his two young companions. "Boys, are you all right?"

"Y-Yeah…" Kouichi whispered, licking his dry lips lightly. "We're fine, Mickey…"

"Good!" The King slashed again, and three more Heartless vanished at once. "Get Riku up, and fast! We need to get out of here!"

Riku planted his feet against the wall and shoved his way up the rocks, grabbing both of Kouichi's hands for extra support. "Why? What's wrong?"

"It's not safe here anymore!" Mickey darted to the side, knocking half a dozen Heartless away. "Something's calling the Heartless to this mountain, something really bad. There's no way we can stand up to all of them alone, so we need to retreat, now!"

Riku made it the last few scrambled steps to a secure place on the ground. He crouched down and yanked the Soul Stealer free, pulling Kouichi to his feet and raising the Shield to cover them both. He glanced at the smaller boy. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kouichi picked up the Staff, gripping it tightly, though his hands were shaking. "We…We can get out of this, can't we?"

"Of course we can. We've been in tighter-" Riku stopped in mid-sentence. Something was wrong, he knew that it was, very, very wrong. But what? What was so wrong that he couldn't even figure out what had made it wrong in the first place…?

"Riku?" The younger boy's voice reached his ears. "Riku, are you okay?"

Riku shook himself lightly, raising the Shield and the Soul Stealer, both ready for defense, and shook the thoughts away. "It's nothing. You ready?"

"I think so."

"Relax, kiddo." Mickey grinned, hopping back into their little group, winking at the two dark young men brightly. "We'll make it through just fine, and you know it. As long as we stick together."

For a moment, Kouichi seemed almost…surprised. Then he smiled. "Okay."

Riku had so many questions that he wanted to ask, so many things that hadn't added up yet no matter how he tried to force them together. He wanted to know what had happened to his friend, why he'd been spirited away by the Heartless, only to reappear as though nothing had happened. He wanted to know what it was attracting the Heartless to this one place, and why so suddenly, and why did they seem to be celebrating so intently. And, more than anything, he wanted to know what, exactly, was so wrong about everything that seemed to be happening, and why it wasn't good or at least normal, and why…

"Ready, boys?" Mickey's golden Keyblade arched through the air, their first attack and their signal to do more. "Let's go!"

And then Riku had to push away all of his thoughts and push ahead, cutting through the Heartless and leaving his questions for another day…

TBC…

Confused? Good! Heh heh…you're not supposed to know what's happening yet, because that would ruin a very good plot point for the main story, which is where the rest of these group scenes are going to be presented. Until then, feel free to guess away all you want.

Hm…depending on how everything works out, I believe there's going to be one last chapter to this collection of short stories that I tend to call I/O, because, by then, Kouichi, Mickey and Riku will have finally entered into regular appearance in the main KoEH story. But I'm going to leave this off with a nice, sweet ending…and maybe a bit of a shonen-ai hint. I LIKE this pairing!