Chapter 11

"Sora. Sora?"

A girl's singsong voice broke through Sora's dream, pulling him out of sleep slightly. He looked up to see Kairi beaming down at him, and tried to sit up so he could see her better. Something was pinning him down, looking over, he had forgotten that he fell asleep in Riku's bed again last night, and rather than the older boy kicking him out, he had just decided to climb in with him, and was now curled up so most of his upper body covered his arm and shoulder. Sora removed himself from his friend's grip as gently as possible so he wouldn't disturb him.

"I take it Riku had only just come home from his own mission, didn't he?" Kairi asked him nonchalantly as the two of them wandered through the corridors of Yen Sid's tower, enjoying the brief respite from training they always got after missions. Kairi had been sent to Olympus Coliseum on her own training mission, and was actually expected back around this time. Worrying about Riku had made Sora completely forget about that.

"Even on the islands you'd sleep over at his house after one of you had come home from a long trip. I was never allowed to do that because my guardian didn't trust boys to be alone with me for a night. It's nice that Yen Sid can trust us with each other's company though, cuz I would like to have a sleepover!"

Sora froze. Just what did she mean? In his eyes, Kairi was pure and innocent, but she too was a teenager and could occasionally drop a suggestive joke or idea. He was sure she simply wanted to spend the night with him, but he never knew for sure. He knew from experience that being away from familiar surroundings could stir up that sort of frustration in a person.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Sora asked stupidly. Kairi playfully swatted his head in response.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, I just wanna have a sleepover, silly! You can bring Riku, Lea, and that new girl with if you're that uncomfortable with the idea!"

"New girl? You mean Master Aqua?"

"So that's what her name is. I ran into her when I was headed to see you. She's really nice and seems really smart!"

"I imagine so. She healed Riku after he got hurt on his mission."

"Wait, Riku got hurt? Is he all right now?" Kairi suddenly burst out, alarmed.

"He's fine, had a good-sized scratch on his arm and looked a little pale, but he kept telling me that was from lack of light."

"Thank goodness. I know Lea thought it was too soon to send Riku to such a dangerous place, and I kind of agreed with him, I've gotten so afraid of losing you two lately that I keep forgetting you are both more than capable of protecting yourselves."

XXXXXXXX

Riku woke up feeling like he had several rocks in his stomach. He stumbled out of bed, noting that Sora must have left for his own room during the night. Heading to the adjoining bathroom, he tried to revive himself by splashing cold water on his face. He was able to function somewhat better afterwards, but still felt the discomfort in his stomach.

Aqua was in the study talking with Yen Sid when he walked in. Both turned and greeted him, and quickly returned to their discussion. Judging from the snippets he overheard, they were talking about Ventus' location. Sora's role in the revival of the Keyblade wielders was rapidly approaching. Aqua was just asking what made Sora in particular so important to waking Ventus.

"Because Sora has been sheltering Ventus' heart for several years now. I could sense the familiarity of the second presence within him only recently. When the time comes, Sora will have to release Ven's heart, so he can return to his own body."

"WHAT?" Riku suddenly exclaimed. He had heard the last part of the conversation, and was very much aware of the danger. Sora had turned into a Heartless last time he released a heart that had taken shelter within him. Would Kairi be able to return him to normal again, like last time?

"Riku, you have nothing to fear!" Yen Sid said gently but firmly. "Remember that Kairi has the ability to transform him back, and she is more in control of her powers now than she was the first time Sora lost his heart."

"And it might just bring Roxas back too. Lea would love that..." Riku added, still doubtful. Suddenly he went white in the face, covering his mouth and running from the room. The stomach upset he was feeling had returned with a vengeance.

"Is he ok?" Yen Sid exclaimed, as Aqua looked on in disbelief. The Moogle entered the room almost as quickly as Riku ran out.

"The medicine he was given in the Dark Realm must not be completely out of his system, kupo. I should have warned him not to eat such rich fare yesterday, it probably irritated his stomach. Some ginger should clear it right up though!"

"Seems that the realm of Darkness produces quite a few accomplished healers..." Yen Sid said, with the dejected air of one who had been surpassed. Aqua covered her mouth to suppress a chuckle.

XXXXXXXX

Riku was curled up on his bed, clutching his stomach and heaving violently. He was convinced the attacks had completely emptied his stomach after the first half hour, but this sensation was worse, his stomach was contracting painfully and he was heaving so much he could barely find time to breathe properly.

There was a knock on his door, but Riku was too sick to answer. Aqua entered the room, holding a steaming mug in her hands, a look of pity on her face at the pathetic sight before her.

"Yen Sid made this for you, he said it should help." She said, setting the mug on his bedside table. Riku paid it no mind, instead trying his hardest not to gag at the spicy-sweet scent coming from the mug.

"Where's... Sora?" he finally managed to ask between gasps. He was beginning to worry, as the younger boy had not been seen all morning.

"Walking the grounds with Kairi- I think that's her name?" Aqua asked, Riku nodding. So Kairi had finally come back from her mission. "...And he's blissfully unaware that anything is wrong with you. Yen Sid insisted it be like that, seems he goes into panic mode if you or that girl get so much as a headache anymore. Come on, drink! It's just ginger tea." She added, noticing how Riku seemed to be recoiling at the very sight of the tea. He hesitantly sipped the tea, taking it more willingly after several minutes as the symptoms began to clear.

"What on earth triggered that attack anyway?" Riku thought out loud as he drained the mug.

"The Moogle suspects it was the medicine you were given in the Realm of Darkness. The stuff there is potent, but not exactly gentle. Which is why we learned about the use of herbs and other plants to ease the other effects. I didn't think they'd be so effective until I had to use some of those remedies on myself in hard times."

"Could be a good thing. I was afraid there wouldn't be enough potion or elixir available to treat an entire army, the knowledge could prevent a lot of casualties. Which, I confess, is one of my greatest fears. People I know, love or admire, any one of them could be gone at the end of this."

"It's a risk everyone is prepared to take, because they too have something precious they will protect at any cost. I know, since me and my comrades paid a pretty steep price to protect one another, but now a new generation is working to bring us back together, safely. You need to hold on to hope, and know that, even if all seems lost, it is not forever. If your heart remains connected to those precious to you, you'd find each other, even if it's in the next life."

Riku sat, still and quiet, as he worked out Aqua's words in his head. He then looked at her, a soft smile on his lips.

"Thank you." He said. "What you said just reminded me of a promise I had made to Sora once. I told him- even if something happened that separated us, I'd still find a way to return to him. I know I could work something out, I've seen it happen before."

End of Chapter 11.