...I just watched Digital's conversation with PK about Mary Sue's... and it scared me. O.O Digi's very rough with people.

...here's the last part of TSC's four-part... thing. And why does everyone think this is going to end the story at the end of the long part of TSC? O.O; All I did was put them in separate parts 'cause it's so long.. And before the chapter, here's my favorite line from a song! EVER! ...yeah!

I thought it would be nice... to lie down and close my eyes.

It never occurred to me that I am already asleep...

It sorta fits in with the chapter... yeah, shut up.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Part 4

Heads

"Oh... heh heh... I guess this isn't a very good time to introduce myself, ne?"

And then they attacked.

Sora sat huddled behind the giant golden throne, body racking with silent sobs. Salty tears stained his cheeks, eyes shut tightly, scratches that marred his face stinging in the wake of the salty water.

"SORA!" Riku cried, sitting bolt upright. His green eyes were wide in anger and shock as he watched Leon and Cloud instantly run forward to grab hold of the brunette who, in turn, was desperately trying to get past them and to Riku. He had to get to Riku. He had to save him...

"Sora, get out of here!" Riku snarled, watching as Sora swiftly dodged the bodies flying at him. Sora ran into the metal medicine tray next to the bad, sending its contents crashing to the floor. Sshards of glass skidded over the pale floor and glistened in ripples of light.

His face was buried in his knees, arms tightly wrapped around his calves as he hugged himself, trying to look as small as possible, hidden deep in the shadow of the king's majestic throne. He looked so small in the large shadow of something so beautiful, hiding the heart-wrenching sight.

He could hear footsteps stampeding outside of the marble doors. No one would think to look for him the most obvious place. The most hated place.

A set look of determination in his eyes, Sora firmly grasped Leon's shoulders when the older of the two had summoned his Gunblade. Gray eyes widened a fraction in shock, but before he knew what was happening, Sora had pushed himself over flying over the head of the Gunner and to the safety of Riku's bed.

"Riku," Sora breathed.

"...I'll always be here for you, Sora."

Sora remember it clearly. It had been almost an hour ago that he had attempted to break in to rescue his friend. Almost an hour ago that he had failed. Again. Almost an hour ago that he, Sora, had left his best friend in the hands of the enemy. After all that Riku had done for Sora... how could the younger be so selfish as to leave his mentor behind?

"It's... it's not fair..." Sob.

"You have to get out of here! NOW!"

"Not without you!"

Something flew at Sora's head, and Sora quickly flung himself over the bed, head buried in the older male's chest. The spilled antidotes had burned the curtains, and started a small fire. Mass chaos captured the room in it's enticing trap, and no one bothered to notice that the enemy was no longer even part of the fray. They were fighting each other, now. Literally.

"We... did nothing wrong." Hiccup. Sniff. "It's their fault... we did nothing wrong... it isn't fair..."

His voice was so weak, so frail, pathetic sounding to even its owners ears. He struggled to find his inner strength, to bring it back, in a time when it was most needed. But it hurt... it hurt too much. Riku didn't deserve this. And neither did Sora.

"IT ISN'T FAIR!"

"You have to leave here! Now, Sora! That's an order!"

"Since when do I take orders from you?"

"Since I know what's best! Run, Sora."

The fire was being extinguished; the smoke that had once given Sora cover was diminishing.

"Run down the hallways, to the left, and follow the red carpeting. You'll find a double set of white marble doors! Knock on them, and a smaller door will open!"

"Riku..."

Shaking slightly, Sora stumbled to his feet. His lower lip trembled, and he bit down hard on it to stop this problem. He wiped furiously at his wet cheeks with the back of his hand, and sniffed.

He had to be strong. Because now... Riku couldn't be. And now, it was up to Sora.

"Are you listening to me, Sora?"

"Yes..."

The smoke was slowly being blown away; someone had enough brains to open a window to let it all out. Sora could hear shouts, and Riku's voice grew even more frantic.

"Go into that door, Sora, and hide! I'll come and get you! Just stay there! Promise me you'll stay there, Sora!"

"Riku, how do you know...?"

"Promise me!"

"I promise!"

To Hell with Riku's orders. Sora was tired of letting people take control of his life. The King, the whole fucking court, even Riku. It was Sora's turn to play, now. And Sora played to win.

With a firm nod, Sora marched out from behind the large throne. The red plush carpet felt fake under his feet, and he almost felt as if he were marching towards his death.

A scream, shouts, commands. Scurried footsteps, and the opening and slamming of a door. Glass shattered form the force of the door being slammed back into it's frame, and Sora fled the scene. He took a sharp left and practically flew across the red carpeting. He wasn't sure where this would lead him... but he trusted Riku.

He always trusted Riku.

And now it was Riku's turn to trust Sora. And in his instincts.

And Sora pushed open the white marble doors, ready to face down whatever came his way.

Tails

"Urgh, fuck!"

"Cloud, watch your language!"

"Wah, my pants are on fire!"

"Huey, you're not WEARING any pants!"

"Oh, heh heh..."

"Wait... what are you three still doing in here? OUT!"

"Awww, c'mon, Uncle Donald!"

Riku waited patiently for the riot to quiet down, idly twiddling his thumbs over his stomach. He masked his confusion and fear with a look of calm inferiority, palms resting on his belly. His heart beat rapidly in his chest, but Riku forced his breathing to remain calm and he just stared up at the ceiling. He could feel several pairs of eyes watching him, waiting for something to happen. Hoping Riku'd start screaming, throwing things, crying... anything to show this was affecting him at all.

But Riku gave nothing but a tiny sigh as Aerith started checking him over. Again. The silver-haired boy wasn't even sure why. She just was. Probably to see if he had gotten any injuries from the things flying across the room.

Riku took note of the fact that Leon and Cloud had left the room, and positive they were hunting down Sora. But Riku had a plan. It was rash, there was only a sliver of hope that it would work, and it all depended on what he had learned about a woman he had only said three words to.

Things were not looking up at all.

"Hurry, follow him!"

"Yuffie! Where have you been?"

Riku watched a sheepish looking ninja nervously try to explain herself to the temperamental duck, who was tapping his foot impatiently on the ground and in his trademark stance. The dog, meanwhile, was trying to usher Yuffie and Donald out the door and after King Mickey, who had summoned up an odd looking weapon a mere moment ago and run out the door after Cloud and Leon.

Huey, Duey, and Louie were all being hollered at a moment later by their crazed uncle, and ran out the door in a frenzy of feathers and legs. Yuffie and Goofy followed, the ninja throwing Riku one last suspicious look (which he completely ignored) before rushing out of the room.

"What did you tell him?"

Blinking, Riku calmly lowered his gaze to see Aerith's angry green eyes staring hard at him. "What are you talking about?" he asked indifferently.

With a heavy sigh, she replied, "We're smarter then we look, Riku. And you can go on and think that this plan of yours will work, but you're wrong." Another sigh. "We're only trying to help, you know. You don't have to take it this far."

When she got no response, she just shook her head. "Well, it won't be long now, Riku. They're going to catch him eventually."

Riku showed her his most charming grin, eyes twinkling with a smug sheen before saying, "That's what you think."

Aerith blinked, raising a delicate eyebrow as Riku winced, trying in earnest to sit up. His arms shook terribly, breath coming out in uneven puffs. His teeth were gritted, back trembling as he struggled to sit upright.

"Riku, please, lay back down," she said gently. She tried to push him onto his back, but he resisted, back lurching even more and voice cracking as he said, "No."

"I didn't want to have to do this," Aerith warned him, "but I will."

Perfect. Riku continued to struggle.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aerith rummage through a cardboard box on the windowsill, and then she stalked swiftly back to her patient. "Just hold still, this won't hurt a bit." And she raised the hypodermic needle to the flesh of his thin arm...

And her eyes bugged out of their sockets when, a quick as a flash, Riku's hand shot up and twisted the needle in her nimble fingers, plunging it deep into the skin below her wrist and pushing the top down, letting the medicine rush through her blood vessels.

Slowly, she sunk to her knees, eyes still wide with shock and disbelief. Riku had stopped shaking now, and was sitting perfectly straight as he watched her with guilty eyes, hands gently lowering her to the floor. He softly swung his legs over the bed and winced, for real this time, before letting her gently fall to the floor. The empty syringe rolled away and under the bed.

Her gaze never faltered, and she watched fearfully as Riku leaned over the spilled medicines from the previous scrimmage. He shuffled through them, sniffing one every now and then. Finally, he found a large, round blue bottle. Popping the cork open with his thumb, he raised it to his nose and sniffed. Mint. He smirked triumphantly.

And then, staring Aerith straight in the eye, Riku downed the whole bottle.

Aerith let out a small squeak and watched as a small drop of the clear liquid slid down his slim throat. She heard a loud intake of breath, and watched as the now-empty bottle slid from Riku's shaking fingers and shattered on the floor with a loud crash.

Riku grasped at his throat, shaking, eyes clenched tightly as a thick pressure incased his body. Maybe it was the wrong one? But then, a moment later, the pressure evaporated, along with the pain. Slowly, the numbness swept through his whole body, igniting a welcoming warmth in his bones. The excruciating pain in his muscles and wounds was gone, and his mind felt refreshingly clear.

Smiling sympathetically, Riku grabbed a pillow from his bed and knelt down beside his caretaker. He gently lifted her head and slid the cushiony pillow beneath.

"I'm sorry," Riku whispered. "But I don't need your help."

And then, he stood back up and spun on the spot, running towards the door and letting it swing slightly in his wake, ignoring the feeling of wet warmth spreading down his arms, back and legs.

And behind him, in the hospital wing, a tiny tear trickled down Aerith's cheek.

Heads

Sora was really starting to doubt his decision to leave the safe sanctuary of behind the throne. Being stuck behind a statue of something that didn't remotely resemble anything Sora's ever seen, surrounded by footsteps of people who were looking for him, having no weapon, or any means of protection didn't appeal to him very much.

Gah, I should have listened to Riku!

No! I'll prove him wrong! I'll get myself out of this mess, and save Riku, too! All I have to do is find him, and then we're out of here.

Sora inwardly groaned. It wasn't as simple as it had seemed when he first thought up this 'heroic' plan. First, he had no idea where Riku was. Second, even if he did, he wouldn't be able to even find the place! The Castle was too big, and he had long since lost the red trail Riku had instructed him to follow. And from the last look of his best friend, Riku was gravely injured and Sora doubted he could heal his friend without help. A lot of help.

Sora gave a tiny sigh. Things were getting way too out of hand; he wished Riku was here. Riku could solve anything, and always got them out of these messes.

Riku, Riku, Riku! Why is everything depending on Riku? Can't I do it myself? If he can do it, so can I!

Easier said then done.

And Riku... Riku was keeping something from Sora. How did Riku, of all people, know his way around the castle? How could he possibly know where Sora could go to be safe? Did the teenager get a concussion or something? Sora wasn't sure and that, more then anything, settled his resolve to go onwards.

There was no use turning back now, right?

The sounds of thundering footsteps, slapping against the marble walls in a loud echo, receded gently. Sora waited, trying to calm his racing heart. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he stood up on wobbly knees.

Gah, why am I so nervous? It's Riku who's in the real trouble, not me! Get. Yourself. TOGETHER!

Pouting, Sora forced his legs to bear his weight and turned around...

Besides, I'm not in any real trouble. You're only in trouble if you get caught.

...and smacked right into a hard chest.

Someone roughly grabbed him by his shoulders, fingers digging into Sora's thin arms. Crying out in surprise, his wide blue eyes darted up to meet the gaze of the blonde he had seen yesterday in the alley.

"I'm in trouble," Sora yelped.

"I've got him!" the older man yelled, keeping his iron-vise grip steady on the struggling teen, who was thrashing about wildly in a feeble attempt to escape.

"LET GO!" Sora snapped, eyes flaring in rage. He twisted his torso left and right, but Cloud held fast, grip now tighter then ever. He couldn't do this alone... He couldn't...

...he couldn't...

...Riku... help...

...Riku...

"RIKU!"

With a carnal growl, something came hurtling out of nowhere and barreling into the blonde's chest, knocking the air out from his lungs and sending him plunging to the ground, relinquishing Sora from his hold.

Stumbling backwards, breathing heavily from his little outburst and his fruitless struggles, Sora didn't realize he was being dragged along for quite some time. But when he did...

"R-Riku?"

Sora stumbled along as quickly as he could beside his bets friend, who tightly held Sora's left arm and was forcing him to run the length of the vast hallway. Windows and shouts, people and paintings, doorways and staircases, all swept by them in a rushed blur of pastel colors. The only thing remaining solid in Sora's line of vision was Riku, who was running at mock-one speed with his charge by his side. Blood dripped red and pretty down his body in tiny torrents, sweat glistening across his marred skin. He was wearing the same clothes as the day before, but now instead of creams and brows, his attire was a deep red, save for a few clean patches by his ankles. And his skin, face, and hair looked twice as dirty.

"Sora, move!" Riku hissed, digging his short nails into Sora's flesh as a warning.

Napping back to realty rather quickly, Sora started to move his legs on his own and, once his speed matched Riku's, the latter let him go. "Hey... aren't I.. the one... supposed to... be saving... you?" Sora panted, arms pumping at his sides and breaths coming out in loud gasps, lungs burning for air.

"Not now, Sora," Riku gritted out, eyes darting back and forth as he scanned over their surroundings. "Shit!" Abruptly, Riku dug his heels into the ground, skidding a few inches, bloody arm flinging out and catching Sora in th chest to stop the brunette. Then Riku yanked them both to the right, flying down a thinner corridor faster then ever.

"What the Hell was that for?" Sora snapped, massaging his chest as he struggled to keep up with the older boy.

"That was a dead end," Riku hissed. "We have to go this way!"

"How do you know?" Sora exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. His legs burned, as did his lungs, from the hurried pace. His heart not only thudded so heavily from the sprinting, but also because he could hear a tidal wave of footsteps following them, and it didn't sound as if they were slowing down any time soon. "How do you know where we are? You've haven't ever been in this place!" He said it all in one breath, as he didn't have many to spare.

"Not now, Sora!" Riku snarled. The shouts were more clearly defined, and curious heads poked out of doorways to watch the pursuers hunt down the two teens. It was a frantic race against the clock, and Riku didn't see how they could possibly win with the watch tucked inside the pocket of a king.

"You'd better tell me after all of this," Sora warned. "I'm tired of you keeping secr---!"

A dead end. But their way wasn't blocked by a wall this time, but two towering men who were glaring coldly down at them.

"Glad you've decided to join us," Leon said sarcastically.

"Are you done running yet?" Cloud added, tapping his fingers along the hilt of his Buster Blade absent-mindedly.

Sora, at a complete loss of words, just looked over at his best friend. Riku had that puzzling smirk on his face again, and Sora knew that whenever the older of the two had it on, the results usually weren't pretty.

Icy eyes, steely color matching his cold demeanor, Leon asked, "What did you do to Aerith?"

"Aerith?" Sora blinked. "Who's...?"

"Quiet, Sora," Riku ordered in a voice that left no room for debate. When Sora clamped his mouth shut, ignoring the fact that guards were practically breathing down their necks as they came closer.

They're not attacking because Riku's hurt, Sora thought frantically. That's the only reason they're holding back. They don't want to hurt Riku any more. But then.. why do they care?

The blonde was talking again. "We don't need to fight you. Just come with us... we can help you."

Sora opened his mouth to refuse, but Riku cut him off. "Sora, listen to them." And Sora's jaw promptly dropped.

Leon raised an eyebrow sardonically, as did Cloud; both looked at Riku suspiciously.

"I can't fight any more, Sora," Riku said in an apologetic voice, locking eyes with Sora. "We'll have to go with them."

The footsteps got louder as Sora's pulse grew quicker. Did Riku know what he was saying? Was he insane?

"That's right," Cloud assured the distressed, cerulean-eyed boy. "Listen to him. And we can heal your injuries, too."

But Sora wasn't listening. Riku's eyes had just quickly darted down, and then back up, as to not arise more suspicion. Taking a subtle peak down, eyes hopefully hidden by his bangs, Sora saw Riku's hands twitching a bit. His finger, he noticed, was pointing at the ground by Riku's feet.

What the Hell is he planning?

Sora had recognized the hand signal immediately from a code Riku and he had developed many years ago. And when Riku pointed at his feet, he meant he wanted Sora to stick with him as close as possible.

So, trying to look as nervous and scared as possible, Sora slowly inched behind Riku. To a stranger's eye, it would look as if Sora was trying to hide, or looking for protection. But to Riku...

"What do you want us to do?" Riku asked, voice cracking. Riku's voice never cracked, and he never trembled as he was doing now, if not only slightly. It was all an act. All of it.

Leon looked as stony as ever and didn't say a word. It was Cloud who spoke, looking faintly relieved at the boy's amiability. "Come back with us to the hospital wing. We can get you patched up," he said, eyeing the bandages that were beginning to unravel from Riku's arms, fresh blood leaking through the cuts.

Thirty seconds, the guards will be here. He has to act fast, or else...

Riku's fingers were nervously twitching, but to the keener eye, and someone who was paying really close attention, they would see Riku pulling out a thin match from beneath the plastic band on his arm, which Aerith had placed their earlier to identify him in case he got loose. Fat lot of help it did her, too.

Slowly, Riku put his hands on his hips, match horizontally laying in his fingers. And with a quick snip, he scratched it across a material hidden under his shirt. The end of the match hissed to life.

Sora's eyes widened. He's holding it too close to his shirt! He'll catch on fire...! And sure enough, the ends of Riku's shirt began to smolder, and then, slowly, an orange flame crept up the back of his shirt, black smoke growing bolder with each centimeter the fire slithered.

"I guess we have no choice, huh?" Riku asked. But now, his calm mask had evaporated into one of smugness. His eyes were dancing with triumph, which Sora thought as stupid since Riku's shirt was now set aflame.

And now, Leon and Cloud's faces grew angry. And now, they saw the smoke. And now, they looked shocked.

And now was the time that Riku whipped his hand up and ripped off his shirt, that was now almost completely enveloped in flame, and threw it across the fire to a scorner in the room.

Everything was frozen for a brief second of time. The air grew cold, the footsteps halted, the sounds diminished. And then, in a sizzle and a bang, the shirt landed and, faster then the speed of light, the whole corridor was engulfed in a fiery explosion.

Fire sped along the creases in the walls, up over the ceiling, across the floors, roaring over the whole corridor and setting flame to the whole thing within seconds. Screaming was heard, as were shouts, but Riku and Sora didn't hear. As soon as he had flung his shirt off, Riku had seized Sora in a hurry and hurtled them both into a crook in the wall that had barely enough room to fit them both. Riku had pushed Sora in first, and then covered the smaller body with his own, the bandages on his back and arms still alit with flames. Soon, it would break through the numbness. He couldn't feel it, but Riku could smell the scent of his own skin burning.

They heard the roaring of flames for all of ten seconds, the air outside of their little nook nothing more then a blazing inferno, before a hiss of machinery was heard. And Riku's smirk grew when, from the ceiling, hundreds of little fire detectors buzzed to life and thick streams of water poured out through the sprinklers.

"Let's go!" Riku shouted. Once again, seizing Sora's shoulders, he pulled them both out and into the torrential downpour.

End Chapter

...yes, there's a part 5! I just felt like leaving you guys there because it's an excellent place to end it all. And also, I didn't feel like adding on another 20 pages to this. Honestly, who wants to read 30 pages at once?

Well, expect something VERY long nest week, or two weeks from now. And thank you so much for all the reviews! I've never gotten so many for one chapter. Ever! (sniffles) THANK YOU! (hugs you all)

...review again:D