Keep forgetting the disclaimer...for everything...

Note: I do not own any of the characters; the mere idea this story is about, however, I own.

-WakingUp-

Eventually (within two hours, according to Zexion), Sora woke up.

In a clean white bed, parallel to R iku's.

The white room was empty, aside from the two of them.

Riku, upon seeing him awake, smiled. He had built up enough strength to have the ability to move himself. He did so, to the point where he was laying on his right side, facing S ora

"I knew it. I knew it was you. I knew you were Sora."

The cerulean eyes w ere cold, this time having glistening liquid with them.

"It's Agent Sky..." He mumbled, although he was sure Riku hadn't heard him.

"The hair was a major hint...but I think it was your eyes that made me sure. You're Sora."

Sora stiffened up, taking deep controlled breaths. His eyes glazed over coldly.

"You can't be here...You aren't real. And my name is Agent Sky."

Riku blinked.

Gone?

"No. No , you're Sora, and I'm here . Look at me."

Sora clenched his fists, but didn't move from his stony position.

"Agent Sky."

Riku creased his eyebrows, feeling his chest quake for a moment.

"No Sora. I'm right here. I'm not dead, look. You and I know damn well you're I'm alive...Just...Please. Look."

Riku felt his heart thump hard against his chest as Sora shook his head slightly.

How did this happen?

He had fallen to dark; that world where Sora, and Axel, and Cloud were his bestest friends a kid could ask for -

Where life on the islands was bliss.

Where the sun shined, and could warm the coldest bits of himself.

They were gone.

The islands, Axel, Cloud, the sun, they were all gone.

Swallowing thickly, Riku took a deep breath, and stretched his arm towards the teen. He reached as far as he could, only a foot away from the bed.

"Sora."

Sora remained as still as the dead.

Gritting his teeth, R iku waved his hand, feeling jolts of pain leap up his veins ; there was pain and frustration.

"I'm right here!"

Sora gave in. The cool exterior began to thaw, facial muscles relaxing and the tense muscles in his neck. For once he actually looked Riku in the eye.

They were not the same dark indigo Riku had first seen; they weren't strong. They weren't fierce. They were lonely and hardened from childhood.

Shaking Sora's arm again, Riku glared with determination.

"I'm not gonna' leave you again. Can you see me?"

Sora closed his eyes tightly, allowing a shallow breath, but he remaining silent.

For a second, Riku almost thought it was useless.

Until the hand brushed over his own.

It was hesitant at first, but after a moment, the fingers enclosed around his own, and squeezed, similar to a heartbeat.

They locked eyes again. Sora , through his mysterious well-trained ways looked bewildered, amazed even, that his hand didn't fall through the air.

Riku was real.

"You know," the scientist said, peering through the one-sided window, "Agent Sky hasn't cried. Not since..well, that he hasn't."

The blonde nodded, scribbling on the clipboard, remarking dully,

"Yeah. That's what they train you though. They train you that what's gone is gone, and isn't coming back. They train you to move forward and show no emotion - like rocks"

Stepping away from the glass, Zexion moved his gaze around the room, before resting it on his fellow scientist.

"U h huh...like rocks. And this goes against everything he's been trained with, doesn't it?"

Demyx nodded, finishing the last sentence of the report, and met the blue haired man's gaze.

"Yup. This could really mess up his head , you know? With all that time, they beat it into his head that nothing could bring them back, and then this comes along."

"Indeed. We will have to keep an eye on his mental stability for the next few days."

Demyx quickly found something else of interest, and began to fiddle with a key board when he asked,

"And if something does go wrong with his mind?"

The inevitable grim thought was horrible to think about, but not unlikely.

"Well, we would just have to fix him, wouldn't we? With that special little surgery Zack's cooked up." His gaze went cold. "Of course, we know the survival rates for something like that are-"

"Three percent, at most."

Zexion turned back to the glass, where Sora was staring at Riku with curious eyes.

"The question isn't whether we would do it. We both know we would , we'd have to at least. But would we really be able to afford losing him?"