So it's a little late, and I'm sorry. Last night I got distracted by shopping, food, and Domino, and today I got distracted by the purdy snow outside and snowboarding on the back of the four-wheeler. Hehe...

Soooo...it's time for part two of Sora's memories… But first a little glimpse in Roxas' POV. It's not much, only the first part, so it jumps back to Sora pretty quickly. I just wanted to try something different…

OH! And for anyone interested, I have the OST for "Awakening" up on my mySpace (the link is in my profile). I'm missing a couple of songs 'cause the stupid website didn't have them, but at least it'll give you a chance to hear some of the songs that you haven't heard yet…

Anywho…enjoy!!…

WARNINGS: language, tons of angst, lime (implied lemon), blood, death, etc…

Disclaimer: The characters and worlds of Kingdom Hearts belong to Square Enix and Disney…

"…Oh, this night is too long
I have no strength to go on
No more pain, I'm floating away
Through the mist I see the face
Of an angel who calls my name
I remember you're the reason I have to stay

Have to try to break free
From the thoughts in my mind
Use the time that I have
I can say goodbye
Have to make it right
Have to fight 'cause I know
In the end it's worthwhile
That the pain that I feel slowly fades away
It will be alright…"

—"Pale" Within Temptation…

Chapter Twelve:
Awakening, Part Two…

I don't remember a time in my life where I ever felt so cold, so in the dark…so utterly terrified as I did while waiting for Sora to wake up. Even my death in my past life hadn't been so scary. Every day the doctor's said they had no news on Sora's condition was the worst day of my life.

After two weeks, I had all but moved into the hospital, staying even after Leon and Cloud had left for the night. Then, I would send a quick message to Axel and Riku before climbing into bed with Sora and resting my forehead against his with my eyes closed, just like we used. After that, I would talk to him. I would usually just update him on how Riku was doing and then told him how scared I was that I was going to lose him. He never answered me outside of quiet little whimpers and moans.

When a month passed and there was still no improvement, I could feel myself beginning to give up hope. My heart had frozen long before the late fall temperatures had managed to freeze the ground outside, but the thing that bothered me the most was that I hadn't cried, not since the we had brought him into the damned hospital with blood crusted in his hair and on his clothes.

It was the first of December when Leon finally said something to me about staying at the hospital so much. He said that he thought it was unhealthy and tried to get me to go home with him and Cloud for the night, but I politely refused. Thankfully, they left without an argument, and I waited ten minutes before I curled up in bed with Sora and wrapped my arms around him.

With a silent sigh, I closed my eyes and rested my head on his shoulder. There were so many things I wanted to say, but only one thing managed to slip through my lips before I drifted off to sleep…

o-o-o-o-o

'Just what's going on inside that crazy little head of yours, Sora?'

o-o-o-o-o

"Roxas, wait up!"

My best friend giggled happily and shook his head, flapping his wings lazily so he could move even further ahead of me. I whined, but flattened my body out as best as I could before I flapped my wings fiercely and was able to gain quite a bit of ground. Roxas glanced over his shoulder, and I smiled when I noticed that his eyes widened before he dove toward the ground with another burst of speed.

"No way! I'm gonna getcha this time!" I shouted and, with one last fierce flap of my wings, tackled him.

We fell the last ten feet to the ground in a mass of tangled limbs and feathers, our wings working to cushion our fall. Roxas landed first and let out a loud burst of air as I landed on top of him.

"I win!" I giggled.

He glared at me and turned his face to the side so he wouldn't have to look at me. I smiled. Roxas was always such a sore loser.

"Would you just get off me?" he muttered. "I can barely breathe."

I shrugged and rolled sideways, putting my hands behind my head as I rested on the ground beside him. The perfect green grass seemed unnaturally soft, but it was so comfortable. It wasn't long before I heard Roxas' breath even out beside me, and my own eyelids began to feel awfully heavy. But, of course, someone had to run along and interrupt us before we could relax for too long.

"Sora! Roxas!"

I opened my eyes with a groan and reluctantly pushed myself up from the ground. Roxas was already poised by the time I found who had called for us. It was Yuffie. She was running across the vibrant field we had landed in with her arms waving in the air to catch our attention. I was amazed that she didn't need to pause for breath when she slowed to a stop before us.

"Leon wants to see the two of you," she said with a smile, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "He wants to talk to you about something. Sounds important. Actually, though, I don't think it really is that important 'cause he was smiling when he asked me to come get you, and I don't think that the would have sent me to get you if it was all that important either because he knows how sidetracked I get. I see a butterfly flying across an open field and I have to go chase it!"

I furrowed my brow and glanced to my left to see if Roxas had managed to catch onto anything she had said. He just stared at her with an open mouth and completely confused expression on his face. The look made me laugh.

"Wait," Roxas said. "Repeat that, and in our language please. Selphie is the only one who can understand 'Yuffie speak'."

Yuffie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Leon's back and wants to see the two of you for something or another."

We didn't give her time to smile before we were in the air, beating our wings fiercely so we could make it back to the palace as quickly as we could.

'I wonder what he wants to talk to us about,' I sent to Roxas.

He laughed mentally. 'I dunno. I didn't even know that he was back from Kōryōtaru Jimen (1). I wonder if he found anything about Cloud's disappearance.'

'I have no idea. I just want to see Leon. It's been forever!' I beat my wings as quickly as I could as the palace walls began to come into view.

I saw Leon waiting for us at the palace gates and tackled him before my feet ever touched the ground. He sputtered a few curses as we tumbled toward the ground and glared at me after the mood had calmed a bit. I just smiled at him and squeezed him tightly in a hug.

"I didn't think you were ever gonna come back!" I muttered softly.

He laughed quietly and patted the top of my head. "I wouldn't neglect my duties to the people," he said. "Besides, Kōryōtaru Jimen was starting to mess with my head."

I nodded in understanding. Though I had only seen the borders of the bleak, salt encrusted land, I had heard many tales of what it could do to a person. It was said that anyone who traveled there went insane within a month, and it was the place where all criminals were exiled. It was also the place where Shadow Seraphs usually wound up when no one could deal with their insanity.

Leon seemed to be fairing awfully well for someone who had spent so long in the monochromatic world, but something just felt off, though I couldn't quite name what it was.

"What about…?"

Leon shook his head, and I sighed. No Cloud wasn't good. He had been missing for a year now, and no one was sure where he had gone to. It was rumored that he had been kidnapped by Kurai, but most believed him to be lost in Kōryōtaru Jimen after a mission had gone astray.

"We're glad to have you back, Nii-san," Roxas said, shattering the awkward silence.

Leon smiled and nodded, finally pushing me off his chest with a single shove. I giggled and happily slid sideways so he could stand, taking his offered hand so I could get to my own feet.

"It's good to be back," Leon said, stretching his arms toward the sky. "It's been too long." He sighed heavily and gestured into the palace with a hand. "Come on. Let's go get some lunch. I know how you two like to eat after you've been rough housing."

Roxas and I smiled at each other and, after we quickly called for our wings to vanish, the three of us made our way to Leon's room. He said that he had already called for some wine and pastries to be taken to his room so we could talk in private.

I couldn't help but notice as we walked that Leon was awfully tense. Yes, it was true that he wasn't the most fun loving person who had been born into the kingdom, but he was never so standoffish as he was at the moment. His eyes constantly darted around the halls as if he was just waiting for something to jump out of the walls and attack us, and his hands stayed clenched in fists at his sides. It made me worry that maybe his wanderings through Kōryōtaru Jimen had gotten to him after all.

By the time we made it to Leon's chambers, I knew that something was up and I could sense through our link that Roxas thought that something was wrong as well. It was strange, seeing Leon so wound up and nervous. He had never shown so emotion, even when he had learned of his lover's sudden disappearance.

Leon plopped down in one of his chairs and grabbed a pastry from the plate on the table before him, taking a large bite and swallowing it with a gulp of wine before turning to us. His face was its usual mask of calm collectedness, but his eyes told another story. They were dead and tired, the eyes of someone who had just returned from a long and hard journey that had turned out to be all for naught. There had been no peace at the end, no gold at the end of the rainbow… There was just pain and confusion and the deep longing to make life make sense again.

It wasn't until Leon gestured for us to take a seat on the couch across from him that Roxas and I finally left our posts at the entryway to his sitting room. We cautiously walked into the room and gently took our seats on the couch. With the way we were walking, it was almost like we were literally walking on egg shells instead of figuratively speaking.

"Leon…" Roxas started, but our brother hushed him by raising a hand from his arm rest.

"Don't ask me if I'm okay, and please gods don't ask me what happened because I can't tell you."

"So you didn't find Cloud?" I muttered before I could stop myself.

Roxas and Leon both answered me with harsh glares, but Leon quickly dropped his eyes to the ground with a heavy sigh. Roxas, however, growled quietly under his breath and refused to stop drilling holes into the side of my head.

"No," Leon said. "I didn't find him. We searched every inch of the Grey and weren't able to find him anywhere." He sighed and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "That means that he must be in Kurai. That bastard Sephiroth probably kidnapped him or something. He always did enjoy taking away the things that I loved."

"Sephiroth…?" I muttered. The name sounded familiar for some reason, but I couldn't recall where I had heard it.

Roxas rolled his eyes and slumped down into the couch. "Yeah, Sephiroth. First prince of Kurai. You can't tell me that you didn't learn that in your studies!"

I chuckled quietly. So that's where I heard it from. But it wasn't my fault that the instructor had made it so insanely boring that I could hardly pay attention. And with Leon gone, I hadn't had anyone to help me study. There. That was my excuse. I was without a tutor, therefore I wasn't able to pass in my studies. Then I groaned. If that was the case, then that meant that Leon was going to be cracking down on me hard once he realized how horrible I was doing in my lessons. He was the one who had come up with the master plan for me to become an Elder in his footsteps, after all.

"Why do you think Sephiroth took him away? Well, beside what you already said."

Leon grumbled something quietly under his breath. I was about to ask what he had said when Roxas kicked me hard in the shin with the side of his foot. I glared, and was met with him shaking his head in a warning to not pry any further.

"You're going to go back out to look for him, aren't you?" Roxas asked.

The answer surprised us both. Leon shook his head and looked up at us with expressionless eyes, raising a hand to point at each of us. Roxas and I looked at each other and then back at him, pointing at ourselves in confusion. Leon only nodded.

"You're saying that you want us to find Cloud and bring him back?!" Roxas shouted, leaning forward in his chair like he always did when he got excited.

Leon nodded again.

"How do you expect us to do that? If Sephiroth has him, he's probably got him locked away in his chambers somewhere in the castle or something. You can't expect us to just go in there and steal Cloud back for you, can you?"

This time Leon sighed and hung his head. My heart went out to him immediately. Even if he weren't my brother, I would have felt a tremendous amount of sympathy for him. The love of his life had gone off on a mission with twenty other troops, not returning when the other nineteen came home. At first we had thought that Cloud had just gotten lost while wandering around Kōryōtaru Jimen, but now it seemed that it was more than that. Or, at least, Leon thought that it was.

"Do you have any proof that Sephiroth has Cloud?" Leon shook his head, and Roxas laughed incredulously. "Then how to you expect us to even be allowed near his quarters? To them I'm a traitor, and Sora is only a being of Akari, the kingdom their on the verge of war with, might I add. How do you expect us to do it without any proof?!"

"I don't know!" Leon shouted, and for the first time all of his pain was carried in his voice. "I don't know how you're going to do it! I just need something different. I know that he's not in the Grey, or else we would have found him. He has to be in Kurai. It's the only other place."

I sighed. "Maybe he made it back to Akari but got lost on his way to the castle…"

Leon shook his head. "No. I would be able to sense him if he were in Akari, but there's nothing there aside from the faint tingle that let's me know that he's still alive and breathing."

Silence filled the room and it was suffocating with its weight. I wanted to say something to make it go away, but I knew that even a cough would send all of us over the edge. I didn't want the three of us to get into a screaming match, not on the first night we'd been able to see Leon in months.

"What do you want us to do?" Roxas finally muttered after ten minutes of suffocation. "Like I said, we can't just go busting into Sephiroth's room without an invitation, and judging from his reputation, we won't be getting an invite any time soon."

Leon sighed and dropped his head into his hands. "I haven't thought of that yet."

Roxas opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off before he could upset Leon anymore than he already had.

"We still have a month before we have to worry about that, so take your time coming up with a plan, Nii-san," I said softly. "Don't worry."

Roxas glared at me out of the corner of his eye, but managed to keep his mouth shut. I was thankful for that. I knew that the three of us would wind up arguing about this later, but for now I just wanted to enjoy the time with Leon. Who knew when he was going to disappear again?

The heavy silence took its place over the room again, and I couldn't help but sigh. This really sucked. I had one brother who stood his ground no matter what, and another who enjoyed arguing just for the sake of arguing. It was frustrating sometimes. I loved them and all, but gods!

Leon sighed heavily and broke the silence. I frowned and looked at him with my head cocked to the side. He looked so tired, so broken. Most of the craziness from earlier had disappeared from his face, and had only been replaced by time. It had only been two months since he had left, but he had aged beyond that line; not only mentally, but a little physically as well. His face was haggard and gruff, and if I looked close enough, I would probably be able to spot some grey among the brown atop his head.

"Anyway…" Leon finally muttered. "How was your trip to Kurai? Anything interesting happen?"

I tried my hardest to keep my face innocent while I shrugged. Well, of course something interesting happened. I had met Riku and… Gods, there was no way to describe how he made me feel. But I just couldn't tell Leon about that. He thought his lover was somewhere in Kurai. Hearing that I had taken interest in someone from the opposite kingdom would probably only upset him.

"It was interesting enough," I said. "We only got the chance to meet with the Superior once, so not much was accomplished. But, as you know, we'll be returning soon."

Leon nodded at me, then focused his attention onto Roxas. "And how about you? How was your trip?"

Roxas shrugged, keeping his eyes on Leon the entire time. Great. Here we go. It was time for Roxas and his big mouth to finally make an appearance.

"It was nice. I got to see my home without being frowned upon, and got to spend some time with my boyfriend for the first time in two years."

I had to blink and shake my head to make sure I had heard him right, and I had. His voice had gone so soft that it was almost like he had turned into a different person. I even saw Leon's eyes soften a bit as they looked upon our brother.

"I'm sure Axel was glad to see you," Leon muttered.

Roxas snorted quietly. "We both spent the first night in tears. We never thought that we would see each other again under good circumstances." His voice quieted with every word until he just sighed and gave up. "Parting was difficult, but at least I'm going back soon."

Leon nodded. "If times were different and he weren't one of the Organization, he would be able to come here. But, unfortunately, these are times spent on the brink of war."

Roxas nodded, but didn't lift his head to look at Leon. I swear I heard him sniff, though I didn't see any tears when I looked. I sighed. Why did things have to be so difficult? I couldn't wait until I was made an Elder. Then, there would be some changes in the way things happened in Akari, and how we handled our relationship with Kurai.

"You all should probably get back to your studies," Leon said after a little more uncomfortable silence. "I've hogged you long enough."

We nodded and stood to leave.

"I'll see the two of you at dinner. Be good."

We nodded once more and left.

The walk down the hall was tense and awkward. Roxas refused to look up from the ground, and no matter how hard I tried, words fell silent on my lips when I tried to speak. We were almost to the end of the hall where our rooms were when I grabbed Roxas by the wrist and dragged him back to my room.

"What the hell, Sora?" Roxas growled when I closed the door. His eyes were cold when I looked at him, but at least he wasn't looking at the ground anymore.

"Why did you leave Kurai?"

He started and blinked at my question. The anger in his eyes was replaced by confusion, and then by emptiness.

"We have studies to go to." He started to walk pass me, but I grabbed him before he could. His eyes were angry again, but I made sure to hold his gaze.

"No! Our studies can wait!" I growled. "Why did you leave Kurai? Why did Leon know about Axel and not me? Huh?! And I wouldn't even know about him if I hadn't have found you leaving his room one night."

"I told you why I left, Sora." His voice was barely more than a whisper.

I laughed. "You honestly want me to believe that you left Axel behind just so you could find me?" I laughed again. "Sure, you were beaten and abused for every small mistake you made, but when they were done, you had someone to run to. You had someone who loved you, and you left that behind to come here."

"I was under the impression that there were people here who loved me, too. Guess I must have been mistaken."

His words were like ice as they dug into my skin and pierced my heart, making me flinch.

"I do love you, Roxas, and so does Leon, but we can never love you like Axel does. We're family, not your lovers."

A small sniff brought me back to reality, and I was surprised to see that Roxas was crying. Moaning quietly, I went to him with my arms open, and he fell willingly into my embrace. By the time I had settled us both down onto my couch, I was crying as well. Add the fact that I was an emotional person to how I could feel Roxas' emotions through our link as strongly as if they were my own, and you got why I was sobbing long after Roxas' tears had stopped.

When I had finally calmed enough for coherent conversation, Roxas smiled at me and wiped my tears away gently.

"What you don't understand is that I did leave the Organization and Kurai and even Axel behind to find you and Leon. The Organization was the closest thing I had to a family, and as you well know, Xemnas wasn't the best father, and the others in the Organization, minus Axel, weren't the best siblings, either. When I finally realized what our link was and who you were, I jumped at the chance of having a family." He sighed quietly. "Coming here saved me from a fate worse than damnation. Axel knew that. He's the only one I told about leaving. He didn't like it, but he understood and that was all that mattered. Hell, I probably would have left even if he didn't understand. I was only fifteen at the time, so it wasn't like I actually believed that I was in love. It wasn't until I saw him this past time that I finally realized how much I love him."

"I'm sorry," I whispered, ashamed that I had been so stupid. "I'm really sorry, Rox."

He shook his head. "No, don't apologize. You didn't know. It's not your fault."

"No, it is my fault. I shouldn't have been so selfish. It only ended up making you hurt."

He smiled tenderly. "You could never be selfish, Sora. You're the most selfless person that I know."

"I was just worried about you!" I cried, tears beginning to well up in my eyes. "You never tell me anything unless it's absolutely necessary and it drives me crazy! I want to know what's going on in your life…in your head. I want to be the first to know, not the last! I'm your brother for gods sakes. Your Futago."

I was sobbing by the time I was finished, but Roxas just continued to smile at me. His indifference only made me cry harder. I turned away from him and buried my face in my hands to help drown out my cries. What was happening to me? What was happening to us? What was happening to Akari?

A gentle hand on my shoulder pulled me out of my thoughts, and I turned to see Roxas still smiling at me, though his eyes were sad. Before I could yank myself away from him, he wrapped his arms around me and held me close in a tender hug.

"I just want you to tell me things," I muttered. "I feel like I know everything and nothing about you, all at the same time."

He sighed and put some space between us so he could look at me and wipe away my tears. I sniffled weakly as his fingers brushed over my face and tucked my hair behind my ears.

"I'm sick, Sora," he muttered and looked away from me.

I blinked and furrowed my brow, not sure that I had heard him right. "What?"

"I'm…sick and I'll probably die soon." Before I could say anything else, he silenced me with a finger on my lips. "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to worry about me, and I didn't want to make you sad."

"You didn't want to make me sad?" I practically screamed. "How do you think I would have felt if you had suddenly died? You think I wouldn't have been sad? I would have been more than sad. I would have been devastated! My heart would have shattered."

He sighed and looked away from me again. I was glad. As much as I loved him, I could stand to look at him at the moment. I felt betrayed in a way. I mean, he was dieing and he hadn't told me anything. How was I supposed to feel? Elated? Overjoyed?

"I'm sorry," he whispered and stood to leave, but I instinctively reached out and grabbed his wrist.

Roxas turned to me in question, but I couldn't say anything. Instead, I reached out and brushed my mind against his. He sighed and closed his eyes at the gesture.

"What's happening to us?" he whispered when he opened his eyes, echoing my previous thoughts.

I sighed. "I dunno, but we have to fix it. I'll die before I lose you."

He laughed. "You're going to have to learn how to live without me before too long."

"No!" I shook my head in defiance of his impending death. "No! I refuse to believe that you're going to die. We'll find a way to make you better, I promise."

He laughed, but I was glad when he didn't say anything. I was saying that I could save his life when I didn't even know what disease he was suffering from.

"It's Consumption†," he muttered, smiling sadly at my gasp. "And you know that there's no cure for it."

I shook my head and let go of his wrist, stepping backwards. He had Consumption? That meant that he was contagious and everyone he came in contact with could end up suffering from the disease as well.

"That's the funny thing. I was never contagious. It's different in me somehow, and makes me even more incurable."

"Would you stop reading my mind?!" I shouted.

His eyes widened briefly at the venom in my voice, and he took a step back. "Sora…"

"Why didn't you tell me before? I could cure you! You know I have the ability to heal!"

He sighed. "The doctor's tried that already, Sora. It's useless."

I shook my head, cursing at the tears that were welling in my eyes again and my inability to speak. Why did I have to be so weak? I was supposed to be strong, and here I was crying my eyes out when I should have been taking action.

I turned my back on Roxas and curled up in my bed. I didn't bother to pull the blankets over me. I didn't care. I deeply doubted they would have taken away the coldness in me anyway. It was useless. I didn't try to stop the sobs when they took me over. I buried my face into my pillow and screamed into it, letting out all of my pent up frustrations that had gathered in my chest since we had met with Leon.

I didn't feel my bed sink as Roxas lay in the bed behind me and I didn't fight him when he turned me over to face him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I buried my face into his shoulder while I let out the rest of my tears. When I was finished crying, I didn't speak. There was nothing I could say that would fix what had happened.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Sora. I was stupid. It was a mistake. I'm sorry."

I sighed. "I just…why don't you tell me anything? Besides the fact that you 'don't want me to be sad' or whatever the hell your reasoning is? Did you ever think for one second that your twin brother might deserve to know that you were dying? Does Leon know?"

He shook his head. "No. Besides Axel, the doctor, and myself, you're the only one that knows."

"Are you planning on telling Leon?"

He shook his head again. "No. He has enough to deal with as it is. I don't want to burden him with my problems."

I sighed, holding back my urge to yell at him. Our shouting match was over. It was no use for me to bring the argument up again.

"Let's take a nap before dinner," Roxas suggested. "I know you're tired just by looking at you."

I nodded, my eyes growing suddenly heavy with his words, as if I had been tired all along but had been too fired up to notice it. I heard Roxas laugh quietly when my eyes drooped shut. His arms tightened around me and he pressed his forehead against my own, and he was the last thing I knew before I drifted off to sleep.

o-o-o-o-o

DiZ stood behind his desk. His eyes—cold and calculating—were settled on Roxas and me as we waited for him to begin the meeting. We figured that it had something to do with our next journey to Kurai, but we weren't sure. The silence in the room was killing me.

"Tensions between Akari and Kurai have reached their highest point yet," the Elder finally said after what felt like an eternity of silence. "I'm not so sure that it's safe for the two of you to return."

"What?!" Roxas and I both jumped up from our chairs and stared at Ansem as if he were crazy.

"We can't give up on peace," I said. "If Roxas and I don't go, then it will be showing them that we don't want to put forth any effort in restoring the peace."

Roxas nodded. "And there are still things that we haven't done. Sora has yet to meet with the rest of the Organization." Thankfully, he had left out the fact that we also had to return so we could save Cloud.

"There's nothing that I can do about that," Ansem said, his cold gaze drilling into us. "The two of you have been under my command since your mother passed. I'm only thinking of what's best for you."

"What's best for us is that we return to Kurai," Roxas argued. "We still have so much to do!"

"You'll be taken hostage and used as grounds to restart the war if I let you return there! Xemnas has no sense of shame or guilt, you should know that better than any of us, Roxas. How can you say that it's best for the two of you if you return to Kurai?"

"Whether you give us the order or not, we'll be returning." I surprised the three of us with my uttered words. Never once had I dared to go against something that Ansem said, knowing that it would have only resulted in punishment, but this time I knew that it was different.

"You go without my permission and you will not be allowed into this kingdom again," Ansem growled.

"You think I care about that anymore?" I nearly shouted. "As corrupt as Kurai's government is, you can't tell me that ours is any better. Everyone there is so happy and carefree, like they don't even know that they're on the brink of war, while everyone here is warn down and tired because it's all you people talk about. What happened to our celebrations and holidays?"

"You think that there is still the call to celebrate in such desperate times?" Ansem muttered.

"We're alive, aren't we? Everyday we're alive is a reason to celebrate because we're all going to be dead soon if things keep going the ways that they are."

DiZ sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing his temples fiercely like he always did when he got frustrated by Roxas or me. His silence annoyed me, but I knew that it was needed if things were going to work out in me and Roxas' favor. Any interruptions and Ansem would snap and dismiss us from his office with little more than glare.

"I'll give you a month, and no longer. You have a month to go in there and get done whatever you think you need to get done before I bring you back home. If Xemnas takes you as prisoners before then, you're on your own because there's nothing I can do to help. Hopefully you would have made some decent allies by then." He kept his eyes on Roxas mostly as he talked, but they jumped briefly onto me every now and then. "You shall not tell Xemnas of the date of your departure from his kingdom or else he will take you captive before then for sure."

We nodded, our thanks practically radiating from our bodies as we bowed to him.

"Thank you, Sir. You don't know how great this is," Roxas said. I could only nod.

Ansem smiled. "Make sure you don't lose sight of your duties while you are there," he said, looking at Roxas before turning his attention onto me. "The same goes for you, Sora. There are many things in Kurai that are meant to distract you. You can't let them divert you from your tasks."

I nodded, and with a wave of his hand, he dismissed us.

"Pack your things and meet me in the square by noon," he said. "I'll have sent news of your departure to Kurai by then."

We nodded and bowed and left his office in silence. We took off down the hallway and ran to my room before the doors to Ansem's office even closed. There, we jumped up and down like school girls and squeed. Yes…we squeed.

"Can you believe it?" Roxas asked as we twirled around in circles. "We're actually going back. He actually gave in."

I nodded happily. "Yeah, but we have to be careful or else it'll be less of a joy than we want it too."

Roxas immediately stopped spinning. "You're right. And Xemnas isn't stupid. We're going to have to be careful."

"Of course we will!"

And then all doubts and worries were gone and we started to dance again. After what felt like years of absence, we were finally going to be returning to Kurai. And Leon had come up with a brilliant plan on how we could save Cloud, all we had to do was put it into action.

After an hour of dancing and celebrating, Roxas ran off to his room so he could pack his things, and I took the time to do the same for myself. I didn't pack much, just enough for the five day journey across Kōryōtaru Jimen. Most of what we needed when we got to Kurai was supplied by the palace, even clothing, so it was no use to pack more than we could carry.

The two hours until noon seemed to take years to pass. Roxas and I sat together in my room in a heavy silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts of what we would do when we got there. He would probably run off to see Axel. I could only hope that I would be able to see Riku while we were there. I missed him so much, more than anything I had ever missed in my life.

When noon finally came around, Roxas and I left my bedroom with our packs thrown over our shoulders. We didn't share any words as we made our way to the square for departure. Words weren't needed. In the two hours of silence we had shared, the weight of this journey to Kurai seemed to have sunk in. We were excited to go and see Riku and Axel, of course, but there was more hanging on this trip than there had been the last time.

We were surprised to see Leon and Ansem waiting for us in the square so they could see us off. Ansem stood to the side while Leon helped us up onto our horses in silence. Just before we left, I turned to him to say goodbye, but he silenced me with a smile.

"My mind will be open all times of the day and night if you need anything," was all that he said before he patted the hindquarters of our horses and we started off on our journey, led by two guards. I was exhausted, and didn't even make it to the border of Akari and the Grey before I was asleep.

o-o-o-o-o

The first week in Kurai was a lonely one. Unless we were visiting with Xemnas (which happened only once) or eating together, Roxas was off with Axel, which left me alone any other time. I had yet to see even a flash of Riku's brilliant silver hair in the twilight sun while I wandered around the market, and it was starting to depress me. Everyone in Kurai had been told of our return to the kingdom, so I thought that he would have at least tried to meet with me.

After spending a lonely Saturday wandering around the market, I returned to my chambers so I could spend some more time by myself. A couple minutes after I had closed myself away, there was a knock on my door and Roxas peeked his head into the room.

"Oh, you're here?" he said and walked inside, Axel following him closely behind. The redhead smiled at me and waved briefly. I returned the gesture with a small, barely there smile.

I had taken quite a liking to Axel in the time I had spent with him and Roxas. Roxas cared for him deeply, and he was just a fun person to be around. He was carefree and wild. Sometimes he would jump up in the middle of the hall while we were eating and just start singing a random song. One time while the three of us were walking about the market, he "tripped" into the fountain just so I would stop brooding. I had to give him an A for his effort, but the effects of the comedic act hadn't lasted for long.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked.

Roxas smiled and looked at Axel. The redhead laughed and held a white card out to me. I looked at the two of them in question, but they both gestured for me to take the card and read it. So I did. It was an invitation to me from the "second prince of Kurai" for me to join him for dinner tonight.

"Does he expect me to go?" I muttered.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Well, of course he does. He did invite you, didn't he? It would be nice for you to just say yes and get out a bit, instead of holing yourself up in here for the rest of the day."

"I haven't been holing myself up! I just haven't wanted to do anything…" I let my eyes drift away from the card and to the beautiful red, orange, and violet sky outside my window.

Axel laughed. "Come on, Sora. The prince is a good guy, and he's very good looking. I have a feeling you'll be genuinely surprised if you just took a night out to meet him."

Roxas nodded happily. "Yeah…you'll definitely be that."

"And why would I be surprised? It's not Sephiroth, is it? No…he's too old." I paused for a moment to think, but nothing came to mind. "If it's not Sephiroth, then who is it?"

They shrugged in unison and quickly left the room. I ran after them, but they were already most of the way down the corridor.

"I'll make sure to tell him that you'll be there!" Axel shouted just before they turned the corner and disappeared.

I sighed and went back into my room. Great. Just wonderful. Dinner with a prude prince. Axel said that he was a "good guy," but I bet he was as big of a prick as his older brother was, maybe even bigger. No…that was pretty much impossible. Sephiroth was a bastard with a capital B and he didn't care who knew it.

I opened the invitation and read over it again. 'I would be honored to have your presence for a dinner at seven o'clock this evening. –The second prince of Kurai.' I checked the sun outside the window one more time. If this stupid dinner was at seven, then I had an hour to get ready before I had to meet him. I could ditch, but I was supposed to be making a good impression of Akari. I had the feeling that skipping out on a dinner invite straight from one of the princes would be making a very bad impression, a very bad one indeed.

To waste time, I went to the bath inside the castle and soaked for half an hour before I returned to my room and pulled on some clothes. I didn't know whether to dress casually or formally so I combined the two. I wore a pair of black cotton trousers and a beautiful pale blue tunic made of fine silk that felt great against my skin. To finish off, I pulled on my boots and attempted to tame my wild hair with my fingers to no avail. I pouted at my reflection, but didn't have long to sulk before there was a knock on my door.

"Yes?"

I turned to look at who it was and almost died when I saw Riku standing in the doorway. He looked amazing. His outfit was a mirror of my own, except his shirt was green, and his long hair was tied back in a messy, yet elegant ponytail, leaving a few stray strands out to frame his face. But my fascination with him quickly vanished and was replaced by anger.

"Where the hell have you been?" I muttered, tearing my eyes away from him. "I looked for you, but couldn't find you anywhere."

He chuckled and made my eyes go back to him. "I was here and there. I'm sorry that I didn't get the time to see you. I tried, but it didn't work out."

I snorted. "Well, what are doing here anyway? I have a dinner to attend to."

He nodded. "And I'm your escort," he said with a smile.

I groaned and rolled my eyes. The gods just didn't want to be my friends today, did they? My anger with Riku had already faded to a minor aggravation, and I wanted more than to say screw it to the dinner with the prince and spend the rest of the night with Riku, but I knew that I couldn't. This dinner, as annoying as I knew it would be, was necessary.

"Well, are you just going to stand there, or are you going to follow me?"

Riku's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I turned to him with a frown on my face. Suddenly, something seemed off about what was going on, but I wasn't sure what it was. Now I wanted to go to this dinner, if only out of sheer curiosity.

I nodded at Riku and he led me out of the room and down the hall. I only spared a few glances at Riku while we walked, choosing instead to keep myself locked in my thoughts. Something was definitely up. I could tell by the way Riku was carrying himself, and how he had yet to lay a finger on me since he saw me. I still didn't know what it was, but I had the feeling that I was going to find out before the night was over. Knowing that cast a veil of dread over my head.

"Here we are," Riku said when he stopped outside a pair of oversized doors.

I gulped loudly and he laughed.

"Don't worry. You'll be surprised by the kind of person the prince is," Riku said reassuringly. "He won't hurt you, I promise."

"How do you know?" I moaned, noticing for the first time that my knees were shaking.

Riku laughed and pushed the door open, holding out a hand so he could lead me into the room. "The prince and I are close friends," he said. "I know him better than anyone in the kingdom."

I nodded and let Riku pull me into the room, trying my hardest to ignore the electric shock that surged through my body when our fingers touched and intertwined. The room we entered was magnificent. A pair of French doors was open, letting the cool nighttime breeze filter into the room, along with the fresh scent of flowers from a nearby garden. A low table was set up in the center of the room, adorned with golds and creams. It looked like we were going to have to sit on the ground to eat, but I didn't mind. A change would be nice.

I looked around the room in awe for a moment before I realized that the prince wasn't in the room yet. I turned to Riku with my brows furrowed in question, and that was when it all sunk in. Riku was the prince. I let my jaw drop and my eyes widen, and he just laughed at me.

"You…you're the prince, aren't you?" I stuttered.

He smiled and shrugged. "Hadn't that come up in one of our conversations?"

"No, it hadn't, you moron. Why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged again. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Well, congratulations. You got exactly what you wanted. I'm surprised. Can I go now?" I hid my face and tried to walk past him, but he grabbed me around the wrist before I could get to the door.

"Don't leave, Sora. I'm sorry, okay? I should have told you earlier."

I turned to him with my mouth gaping open. "Yeah? And why didn't you?"

He sighed, and his face seemed to grow older. "I didn't want you to be fake around me. I knew that you would have put on an act if you knew that I was a prince, and I didn't want that to happen. I wanted to know the real you, not some idiotic fake you created to 'impress' me."

I frowned and let his words sink in. What he said did make sense. I would have pulled a mask over myself if I had known that he was the prince. I would have kept myself cool, calm, and collected while I was around him and not exposed my weaknesses. I wouldn't have let myself get as close to him as I had allowed myself before, but it seemed that it was too late to go and take everything back.

"It still would have been nice to have a hint…" I muttered dourly.

He laughed and lifted my face with gentle fingers. I looked up and found myself drowning in twin oceans of aquamarine. His eyes were so beautiful. I had never seen anything like them before in my life.

"I said that I was sorry," he smiled.

I pouted and shrugged, making him laugh again. His laugh was like magic. It took away all of my anger toward him and regrouped all of the tenderness I felt for him in my heart. It chased away all of my fears and made me feel like nothing would ever be able to hurt me as long as I was with him.

When Riku's lips met mine, all thought ceased to exist. I moaned loudly, and my hands found his upper arms and gripped them tightly. Riku cupped my face in his hands, and the feel of his thumbs brushing up and down the side of my neck made a shiver ripple through my body.

The kiss ended much sooner than I anticipated; judging by how far our last few kisses had gone. He smiled at my look of confusion and kissed my forehead tenderly.

"I want to start over," he muttered when he pulled away. "I want you to know me for who I really am, and I want to get to know you for who you are. I made the mistake of moving too fast last time. This time I want to take the time to savor you before I have to let you go again."

His words sent a blush to my cheeks, and I nodded weakly. He smiled and kissed my forehead again.

"I love you, Sora," he whispered.

I looked at him and blinked to make sure that I had heard him correctly, but he just continued smiling at me. I reached out and cupped his face in my palm, stroking his cheek gently with my thumb.

"I love you, too," I whispered as I slipped into unconsciousness.

o-o-o-o-o

Our time in Kurai after Riku's revelation was hectic, to say the least. Roxas and I spent a lot of time trying to get on Sephiroth's good side so we could go through with Leon's plan, but the silver-haired prince seemed to distrust us about as much as we did him. Xemnas grew increasingly colder towards us, as well. He refused to share plans with us that he had once shared openly.

Surprisingly, though, the people in the Organization weren't half bad. Demyx, the ninth member of the Organization, was just as crazy and obnoxious as Axel was, and the pair made for quite a show. Demyx's lover, Zexion, was quiet and mostly stayed to the sidelines, only laughing at his boyfriend's and Axel's antics when he didn't think that anyone was looking. They were the only ones who were close to our age, so it was fun to hang out with them. Well…fun as far as hanging out with your enemies could go.

The others in the Organization were older, though a few weren't much more mature. It was still fun to hang around with them. Sometimes Demyx and Axel would tell us the plans that Xemnas was creating, though Axel always told them to Roxas, who would inform me sometime later when we were in a private place.

Unfortunately, though, our meetings with the whole of Organization XIII slowly faded until the only times we saw them were in passing. Only Demyx, dragging Zexion along with him, put forth some time to spend with Roxas, Axel, and I. We usually just sat in Roxas' room and joked around. Sometimes Demyx would bring his sitar and play while Zexion sang along with a beautiful voice.

When Roxas' illness finally began to show, it grew harder for us to complete our mission. Gentle coughing turned to fierce hacking, and soon he was coughing up blood and could hardly get out of bed. Axel stayed by his side at all hours of the day or night. I felt guilty that I couldn't do the same, but I had to proceed with our tasks and I knew that I wouldn't be able to go without spending some time with Riku at least once a day.

And Riku and I spent quite a bit of time together. Whenever he wasn't busy with "important affairs" and I was free from whatever I had had to do for the day, I went immediately to Riku's chambers. He came to see me sometimes, but even I preferred to spend time in his room. The French doors that had been opened on the night of our dinner led to a beautiful garden that was filled with flowers that only blossomed at night. We spent a lot of time wandering around that garden. We also spent a lot of time in his bed…

The week before Roxas and I were going to have to return to Akari, Riku and I had our "first time" together. It was wonderful. He had been so gentle and patient with me, even though I could see in his eyes that it was taking everything he had to keep from slamming me down into the bed and having his way with me. If there was ever a time I was thankful for his willpower, it was then. That night he let me sleep in his bed with him for the first time. It was such a wonderful feeling to wake up in his arms the next morning.

Unfortunately, our time was short lived. The week went by so fast that it seemed to happen in a flash, and before I knew it, I was sobbing in Riku's arms as we said our goodbyes. He kissed me so much that I could hardly stand it. It didn't want to go back to Akari! I knew that Kurai was where I belonged, but Roxas' illness was growing steadily worse, and if we didn't get him to the doctor soon, I was afraid that I was going to lose him sooner than I was ready to.

And so we returned to Akari. Like before, Ansem was waiting for us outside the palace gates when we slowed our horses to a stop and dismounted. Leon was waiting with Ansem with a small smile on his face. I couldn't help but notice how their faces paled when they got their first good glimpse of Roxas after I helped him down from his horse. He could hardly even walk on his own, so I stabilized him with a hand around his waist and one of his arms hefted over my shoulder.

Roxas collapsed in a faint brought on by fever on our way to the door. Leon rushed forward and gathered him into his arms, while Ansem rushed forward to gather me as I slowly made my way toward the ground in exhaustion.

o-o-o-o-o

Cloud's sudden disappearance from Kurai and reappearance in Akari had been reason enough for Kurai to launch their first attack against us. Thankfully, Leon had been anticipating the attack and had sent enough soldiers out into the Grey to stave off Kurai's forces and save the walls of Akari for another day.

After that, it was hell. Xemnas was relentless, and Organization XIII was powerful beyond all belief. They each had separate abilities, but when they combined together in an attack, there was no way for our troops to survive.

Roxas was too ill to be sent off onto the battlefield, but I wasn't. Ansem didn't put me on the front lines and Leon didn't want me on the field at all, but I stood my ground and made them know that I wanted to be there…that I needed to be there. I needed to prove to the people of Akari that I wasn't just the spoiled brother of an Elder. I needed to show them that I could hold my ground in a fight if I had to.

Holding my ground meant attacking people, and attacking people meant that I had to take lives of perfectly innocent, if not misled, soldiers. Whenever I wasn't fighting in the battles, I was in the fields using my healing abilities to care for fallen soldiers who had been wounded. Unfortunately, by powers couldn't defy death.

Soon, Kurai had gained enough ground in the battle to push us from the Grey and back into Akari. They didn't stop in their pursuit, though. They continued into the borders of our kingdom—burning our homes, killing our livestock…murdering the innocent families in the homes just because they were beings of Akari. It was horrible and disgusting, and I could be found crying myself to sleep every night.

The day I met Riku on the battlefield was both a godsend and a curse. Our eyes met and widened in surprise. We were both covered in dirt and had blood smeared across our clothes and faces. I somehow managed to hold back my first instinct to run straight into his arms, and stood my ground instead. I still loved him, but I wasn't sure if he would attack me or not.

"Riku, what are you doing? Kill him!" I heard Xemnas cry from somewhere in the distance.

Riku closed his eyes and shook his head before he turned on his heel and walked away from me. Even though I was in the middle of battle, I couldn't stop myself from collapsing onto the ground in tears, hugging my arms around myself for warmth.

"What the hell are you doing, Riku? I told you to kill him!" Xemnas shouted again.

I don't know if Riku shook his head or not, but the next thing I heard was: "I won't kill the one I love!"

So now it was out and everyone knew of our great forbidden love. Riku, a demon, was in love with me, an angel, and vice versa. Silence seemed to fall over the battlefield at the declaration. The war still continued around me, but it seemed to happen in slow motion. I just wanted to curl up under a rock and hide. Or, better yet, throw a rock at Riku for saying such a stupid thing in the middle of a war. There was absolutely no way that we would ever be able to be together now, no matter how much we loved each other.

When I looked up again, Riku was gone and the world around me was back to normal speed. I set a scowl on my face and lifted my sword with a new fierce determination. This war had to end and it had to end soon, before there was nothing left to fix between the two kingdoms.

o-o-o-o-o

After Riku's little declaration, I wasn't allowed back into Akari. Ansem refused to give me council, and Leon could hardly look at me without scowling. Without saying a word, they forced me into the life of a fugitive. I had to run away and never look back. I knew that the only way I would be allowed back into the kingdom's good graces would be to kill Riku with my own bare hands and return with his head, but I knew that that wasn't going to happen.

Figuring that he had been given the same fate as I had, I set off on a difficult road to find Riku. If we couldn't be together in freedom, then maybe we could be together on the run.

o-o-o-o-o

Blood was everywhere. It covered the ground, tainted the water, stained my hands and clothes. The smell was overwhelming and I collapsed on to my knees, vomiting on to the ground. Everywhere around me, people laid dead. Men, women, children. Gender or race didn't matter to the beings who had gone through and caused this destruction.

When my stomach was empty, I looked up from the ground and examined my surroundings. Buildings were burning and glassy eyes stared at me from a hundred different angles. There was movement ahead of me, but for what side that movement was from, I couldn't tell.

A new wave of nausea swept over me and I clenched my eyes closed, pushing myself up from the ground with my sword. I limped across the bloodstained earth, taking care to not step on any of fallen.

Someone was rushing toward me, but I couldn't tell who it was. My vision was blurry with exhaustion and the heat that radiated from the fires that surrounded me. I quickened my pace, using my sword as a makeshift cane so I wouldn't fall.

It had been two months since my exile from Akari, and I had yet to have any sign of Riku. I was ready to give up and die, and I knew that this person would give me just that if I only revealed myself to them.

"Sora!"

That voice. It was so familiar, so beautiful. The sound of it sent a shiver of joy rippling through my body. I had been so worried that he'd been killed in the battle. But he hadn't been. Riku was still alive, still there to hold me.

I pitched forward but was caught in the person's arms. Riku fell to the ground, cradling my head in his lap, running their fingers through my hair and against my face. Riku laughed joyfully and a pair of gentle lips was pressed against my forehead.

I opened my eyes to see such a familiar smiling face. It was the face of an angel, it had to be. Such soft pale skin and such beautiful silver hair. Such magnificent aquamarine eyes. I soon found myself drowning in their depths.

"R…Riku?"

My angel smiled and nodded. "Yes, it's me. I found you!" Riku ran his knuckles against my cheek and sighed. "I was so afraid that they had captured you already. I thought I was too late."

I smiled and shook my head, reaching up to brush a hand across Riku's cheek, to tuck a lock of hair behind his ear. "I wouldn't have let them get me. I would have died before my chance to see you again was taken away from me."

Riku laughed sadly, tears starting to drip from his eyes. "Sora, I lo—" The words stuck in Riku's throat as his eyes suddenly widened.

I looked up at him in alarm as he started to gag. Blood oozed from between his lips.

"Riku!"

I pushed myself up from the ground and stared at Riku in horror. The tip of a sword was protruding from his stomach. The hooded sword wielder stood behind him, a smirk the only visible feature on their shadowed face. They ripped the sword from Riku with a jerk, making him gag and sputter. With one last victorious smirk, they turned on their heel and walked off in the opposite direction.

Riku was shivering uncontrollably, his every breath difficult in his chest. In a panic, I laid him back on the ground and tore open his clothing until I was faced with his flesh. The wound oozed blood. So much blood. He'd already lost too much. There was no way that he was going to be able to survive.

I pressed my hands against the wound and whispered words in a tongue even older than the Speech, willing the power to course through my veins and heal the gaping lesion in my lover's abdomen. The power came, but there was no healing. The wound stayed open and Riku stared up at me blankly.

Tears blinded my vision. I threw my head back and cursed at the gods above me, the very people I served, for being so cruel. I would find the agent who had killed my love and get my revenge, even if it meant turning my back on everything I believed in.

"Dō…dōshite. (2)"

I moaned quietly. "I don't know. I love you, Riku," I whispered and pressed a gentle kiss against Riku's lips. "I'll be with you soon, I promise."

A sigh as quiet as the breeze slipped past Riku's lips and then there were no more. No more breaths, no more smiles. The light in his eyes was gone forever.

The world around me started to shake as I stared at Riku's body, a loud ripping sound filling the deafening silence that echoed in my ears. Someone was screaming, but I didn't know who. Was it Axel? Or Roxas? No, Axel was trying to get Roxas out of the hospital that was killing him. And Riku. He was…

A strong pair of arms wrapped around me and pulled me backwards as I started to move toward Riku's lifeless body. It was then that I realized that it was me who was screaming, and the world wasn't shaking. That was me too. The person who held me ran fingers back through my hair and whispered consoling words in my ear as I buried my face into their chest, sobbing my ripping sobs into their chest while my fingers held a death grip on the fabric of their black robe.

Black robe? It had to be Axel. He was the only one who had known where I had been headed. At least, that's what I had thought. Had he betrayed me? No. That had been a being from Akari. Axel wouldn't have turned me into them, not before he gave his life.

"Sora-kun shizuka ni naru. Onegai! Kare-wa shindeiru desu! (3)"

I shook my head and buried my face deeper into their chest. "No! He's dead! How can you expect me to calm down?!" I shouted, foregoing the Old Language. "Riku!"

"Shhh…"

I felt a gentle brush of someone else's mind against mind and I knew that it was Axel who held me. He rocked me back and forth gently and whispered calming words into my ear. Sooner than I would have imagined, my tears calmed, but my heart had completely disappeared. I couldn't keep my eyes from returning to Riku's fallen body. Even in death, he looked like an angel.

"Come on," Axel whispered and helped me get to my feet. "We need to get you out of here. I'll take care of Riku, and Roxas will take you back to Akari. You can't stay out here."

I shook my head. "No…I can't go back. I was exiled. And…Roxas? What's Roxas doing out here? He's sick!"

Axel "sh"ed me again and led me away from Riku's body and into one of the homes that wasn't burning. Roxas was sitting at the table with his head in his hands. I could tell that his breathing was ragged and difficult, but he tried to hide it when he looked up at me.

"What are you doing out here?" I shouted, scowling at him. "You're still sick! You have no business being out of bed!"

He shook his head. "I'm fine. I came to get you. Leon wants you home and he was too busy to come and get you himself."

I blinked wildly and furrowed my brow. Everything seemed so surreal. Roxas' skin seemed to have an ethereal glow to it and all the light around him dimmed and flickered away so that he was the only light. Axel seemed to glow as well as he moved to Roxas and put a soft hand on his shoulder.

"I'm going to take care of Riku. Make sure you get Sora back safely."

Roxas nodded, and then Axel was gone. I watched in a sort of crazy daze as Roxas stood from his chair and came to me with his arms held out. Without even thinking, I collapsed into his arms and sobbed…and sobbed…and sobbed myself to sleep.

o-o-o-o-o

I was alone. I didn't know why or what had possessed me to fly to such a high point on the mountain, but I was cold and that was all that mattered. I was cold and I was crying and I didn't know how to make it stop.

Why was I so cold? The Source was supposed to seep into my heart and make me feel warm, not dead and numb. Was it because I had willingly welcomed darkness into my heart when I had found Riku? Had I been…forsaken? No! The Source didn't do such things. It was the center of eternal love and happiness, spreading Its peace and joy to whoever opened their heart to It. It didn't matter what side they were on. It had forgiven Roxas, after all, and he had been part of Organization XIII itself.

Tears continued to roll down my face as I took a step closer to the edge. No…it didn't matter anymore. Even if I had the love of the Source, Riku was gone. Without Riku, my life was meaningless. I couldn't bear to live without my silver-haired love with me. I felt like I was betraying Riku in some way for breathing so long without him already.

And Roxas was gone, as well…had been gone for several weeks now. According to Ansem, there was no possible way that I could have seen him on the night of Riku's death because he had already been dead for a week. Had I seen his ghost? I didn't know, but I just wanted him to come back to me again. Even if I couldn't have Riku, Roxas made me feel a little less alone. Without Roxas, life was completely meaningless.

Closing my eyes, I spread my arms out at my sides and took a deep breath. My silent goodbye was carried away on the breeze as I jumped from the edge and soared to the ground with the wind blowing wildly through my hair.

o-o-o-o-o

"Sora, I need you to wake up."

I yawned and opened my eyes, only to be met by darkness. I groaned quietly and rubbed at my eyes, hoping that it would take the darkness away, but it still stayed.

"Who's there?" I muttered.

"It's me, Love. I need you to wake up."

"Ri…ku?"

Riku's form suddenly appeared out of the darkness and he came toward me. He held his arms out to me and I happily fell into his embrace. His fingers ran gently through my hair.

"You've been sleeping for too long, Sora. I need you to wake up. We're all worried about you." His voice echoed eerily through the darkness.

I furrowed my brow. "Sleeping? I've been sleeping?"

He nodded. "It's almost the end of January. It's been three months since you attempted suicide."

I opened my mouth to argue, but a strange itching at my wrists brought my eyes to them. Bandages wound all around my wrists. My right arm was covered with white all the way up to my elbow. I looked up at Riku from my arms with a lost look on my face, tears welling in my eyes as everything started to come back to me.

"I'm so sorry, Riku! I should have stayed and waited for you to explain! I should have noticed that it was only Axel. I'm sorry!"

He shook his head and smiled sadly. "It doesn't matter anymore, Love. All that matters is that you wake up. We all miss you. Leon won't let Axel or me into your hospital room. I can't stand not being able to touch you."

"Leon did what?" I shouted, anger at my brother flaring in my chest.

"Don't be angry with him, Sora. I understand where he's coming from."

I shook my head. "No. It's not acceptable. He knows how much I love you. He shouldn't have done that."

Riku laughed and tightened his arms around me. "It's the first time you've ever said that."

I sighed and snuggled into his chest. "Well, it's true. I do love you."

"Then wake up for me. Please. I can't stand living without you anymore," he moaned, and then he was gone.

In a sudden rush of sight and sound, my body jumped into the upright position in the hospital bed and my eyes opened. It was all followed with a loud gasp. I gulped down breath after breath of air and let my eyes wander wildly around the room. I didn't have long to look before I was tackled back down onto the bed by a sobbing mass of blonde hair.

"You're awake!" Roxas shouted and hugged me tightly.

I smiled and pried him away from me so I could breathe, and then pulled the oxygen tubes away from me so I could talk.

"And I remember," I said with a smile.

Roxas blinked away his tears and let a large smile take over his face before he tackled me in a hug again. "It's about damned time!" he laughed. "I thought you were never going to come back to us."

I laughed. "But where's Leon?"

Roxas pulled away and bit his lip. "Why?"

"'Cause I'm going to kill him for keeping Riku away from me!" I growled.

Roxas sighed and ran a hand back through his hair. "He and Cloud went home for the night. It's only me here until morning."

"Then you can get me to Riku?" I asked.

He bit his lip again and looked around the room. "I could, but…"

"But what? Don't tell me you're on the same side as Leon now."

He shook his head, his eyes wide. "No, no! I've been in contact with Riku and Axel this whole time, so don't take it the wrong way. I just don't know what to do, you know? I think you should rest for a little bit before you do anything too drastic. You've been in bed for the past three months so you're not going to be able to walk for at least a couple of days."

I sighed and fell back into the bed. I knew that he was right. I could hardly move my feet as it was. I just wanted to see Riku so badly. I needed to hold him and thank him for being the one to finally pull me from my memories and back into the waking world. If it wasn't for him, who knew how much longer I would have spent wandering around that dismal place.

"Fine," I muttered, and was suddenly overcome with exhaustion. "I'm tired."

Roxas laughed. "You're tired?"

I nodded and let my heavy eyelids droop closed as he laughed again. When the bed sunk beside me, I moved over and rolled onto my side so Roxas would have more room. His rooms wrapped around me and mine wrapped around him and together we fell asleep.

TBC…
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A/N: Holy bajesus, this was sooooooooooo hard to write. I spent tonight (Tuesday) in a writing spree and now I'm done and it's 18 freakin' pages long and now I'm just ready to cry and go to sleep…::sighs::…

I know I made some changes to Riku's story WAY back in chapter four, but I liked this better. And I'm sorry if the ending seems rushed (jumping from peace, to war, to Sora's exile, etc…), but I wanted to write it like that. I told you all that there would still be holes. And I'm sorry if the ending was too quick. I know that Sora's awakening wasn't that realistic. I mean, who wakes from a coma like that? Hehe… But his was different, so yeah… I'm sorry if you hate it!!…

Translations…
(1) Kōryōtaru Jimen: means "desolate land," but it's the name of the barren land that lies between Akari and Kurai…is also referred to as the Grey because of its monochromatic color…
(2) Dōshite: Why?…
(3) Sora-kun shizuka ni naru. Onegai! Kare-wa shindeiru desu!: Sora, calm down! Please! He's dead!…

†: For those of you who don't know, Consumption was the name for tuberculosis in the "olden days." As sick as it may be, TB is my favorite disease. ::sighs:: I've spent a lot of time researching it, but I won't be going into much detail with it in here. I just wanted to let you guys know what I was talking about so you wouldn't be lost…

Anywhozits…tell me what you guys thought, if you would. It would mean the world to me. I'll do my best to answer any questions that you have!!…::hugs:: to everyone who reviewed last chapter… I know that I probably haven't replied to many of you and I'm sorry for that. I've just been busy…::hugs again::…

Sorry for any typos and all that good stuff. This was a big'un to edit, so I know that I probably missed a few things…

Until next chapter, adieu…