Author's notes: Leaving Hyrule for a bit in the beginning…
Warned
Riku glanced over at Axel. The red head wanted to come with them to Radiant Garden, for 'personal reasons'.
"I don't see why he can't come with us." Kazuya commented, crossing his arms. Leera and Leran nodded.
"Let him come. As long as Tara stays behind," Leera spoke. Riku nodded, then flicked his wrist and opened a portal. The group headed through it quickly.
"Where are we heading?"
"Ansem's computer." Leera answered. They were standing in the Bailey, which seemed to have been repaired somewhat since the war against the Heartless.
"This place was torn up." Axel commented, glancing around.
"It was worse." Leran told him, following his twin sister as she began to head towards the Restoration Site. The group followed them.
From the Restoration Site, they reached the Postern. It was almost too quiet…
"Stop right there. This place is off limits to civilians."
It was Axel who swung his chakram up to block the stun baton that was swung at the group. He twisted it around and pressed the weapon into the ground, before getting a good look at his attacker…
Both the Flurry of Dancing Flames and the attacker froze and gasped.
Blue eyes…
Emerald eyes?
Red hair in a pony-tail…
Porcupine spike? Longer than I remember…
"Lea?"
"Reno?"
"My little bro!" 'Reno' exclaimed, letting go of his weapon and wrapping his arms around the Nobody. "You're alive, yo! It's been years but you're alive!" Reno was slightly taller than Axel, and appeared to be several years older. Reno also wore a black suit, although rather casually. "I missed you, kid." Axel didn't answer, wishing he could say the same. Nobodies didn't have hearts… they couldn't care.
"Good to see you again." Axel commented as he stepped back.
"You, too."
"Axel? Introduction? Explanation?" Riku requested, completely lost.
"Oh… right…" Axel chuckled nervously. "Reno, this is Riku, and random people he knows that I don't. Riku and random people he knows that I don't, this is my Somebody's older brother, Reno."
"What do you mean by 'your Somebody'?" Reno questioned.
"It's a long story."
"Okay, back to why I attacked in the first place – what the hell are you doing here, yo? This place was roped off by the Restoration Committee."
"We have permission to be here." Riku spoke, flicking his wrist and summoning Soul Eater.
"Ah, I see. You should've spoken up earlier."
"You didn't give us the chance."
"Right, anyway… where are we going?"
"Ansem's computer." Leera answered.
"Right. This way, follow me, single file please!" Reno walked past them. Riku looked over and raised an eyebrow at Axel.
"He's joking – trying to sound all official."
"Oh."
The group turned and followed Reno, and, just for shit and giggles, walked in a single file line.
"Why do you guys need to access the computer?" Leon questioned Riku. He shrugged.
"Ask them." He pointed to Leera, Leran and Kazuya. Leon looked at them, and then hesitated.
"You guys…" He muttered.
"Leera, you're worse than Sora when it comes to knowing people, aren't you?" Riku sighed. Leera only smiled.
"Squall, no, Leon, I found Aqua and Ven. I need to use the computer to unlock the doorway to which they are hidden."
Leon stepped aside.
"Well, Riku?" Leera looked over at him. "You know the password." Riku walked over to the computer. Something was pressing on his heart… Darkness.
"I don't know it. Xehanort does." He snarled.
"What's the difference?"
Leera ducked, Soul Eater lodging into the wall behind her after nearly slicing her head off. Leon stepped between Riku and Leera to avoid any hostilities between the two.
Riku growled, clutching his chest, as he felt something trying to break free in his heart. Leera watched Riku's eyes flicker between light blue and yellow. He reached forward and began typing into the keyboard…
Leera smiled when a wall lit up and vanished. Riku fell to the ground, clutching his chest. Leon stepped over to him, placing a hand on the Keyblader of Darkness's shoulder to make sure that he was okay. Riku's eyes continued to flicker back and forth.
"Reno, stop her!"
Reno spun around, pointing his stun baton at the brunette woman who ran into the room, followed by a blond haired woman in a suit just like Reno's.
"Stop right there." Reno ordered. She stopped, but glanced around the room. A samurai sword resided in its hilt on her hip. She spotted Riku, and ignored Reno to dart to his side.
"Riku!" She wrapped her arm around his shoulders. Leon had stepped back. "Riku!" She repeated, watching his eyes.
"S-sa-am…" Riku shuddered. Sam ran her fingers through his hair.
"Who's that?" Axel asked.
"Samantha, Sora and Riku's older sister." Leon answered him. The group watched as the flickering in Riku's eyes slowed down, settling on sky blue, and he collapsed to the floor, exhausted. His chest burned, and his limbs felt numb.
"What's Sora gunna say when he sees you like this, Riku?" Sam asked. Riku didn't answer. "Riku?"
"S-Sora… Sora's dead!"
Samantha froze. Leon's face went pale.
"D-dead? Y-you s-sure?" Sam stuttered, trying to keep the tears welling up in her eyes from falling. Riku nodded.
"He died in my arms…"
"Oh Riku…" Sam pulled her brother into her arms and buried her face against his shoulder. Leera turned away.
"I'll be waking Ven and Aqua." She said, somewhat sourly. Kazuya sighed.
"She never changes. For a Princess of the Twilight, she's awfully heartless." He muttered, but followed his cousin none the less. Leran was close behind him.
"Aren't they coming?" Sam demanded from Leera. The group was back in Hyrule, the portal waiting open for Leera's friends to show up. Reno had stayed behind, saying that he couldn't leave the Turks on short notice, however, he told Axel to call him if they needed any help.
"They promised to meet us here after they find their leader." Leera answered. Sam growled, unsheathing her samurai sword and slashing at her. Soul Eater blocked it, and Samantha stared into the eyes of Riku's future self, the Fallen Angel. Riku had gone inside as soon as they had arrived.
"Don't be impatient, Sam." The Fallen Angel said before he darted away as a red and silver flash. Sam stood there, stunned.
"Who…?"
"My father." Leera replied sourly, turning away. "Kazuya, Leran, come on."
"Hey, you're not the Keyblade Master! Who said you can give orders?" Kazuya exclaimed.
"You're not her, either, Kazuya." Leera answered. "And if we do not hurry, she will cease to exist!" Kazuya gave Sam an apologetic look before following his cousins inside. Sam stood there, confused.
"Yo… I'm confused." Axel tilted his head slightly. Sam only nodded slowly.
"Tara, what are you doing? TARA! TARA!"
Tara finally looked up at Riku, muttered an 'oh shit' and quickly closed her laptop. "Reading fan fiction." Riku raised an eyebrow.
"Why would you read that stuff?" Riku asked.
"Rahs got me started on it. It's called yaoi."
"Rahs?"
"Sarah."
"Oh…" Riku shook his head. "I don't want to know."
"Fan girls have sick minds… take Rahs for example, you do not want to know some of the stuff she's showed me… or thought of."
"You're just as bad!" Sarah exclaimed as she walked into the room, something that looked like play dough in her hand. Riku shuddered as she took a piece off and ate it. "What? It's cookie dough…"
"It looks like play dough."
Sarah frowned. "Anyway…" She looked back at Tara. "Find anything good?"
"Yeah – Soku, AkuRoku, Xemsai, all your favorite pairings." She answered. "And some stuff you might like."
"Rating?"
"What do you think?"
"Yay!"
"I don't want to know. I don't want to know." Riku muttered as he turned and left the room. He walked down the hall a ways before yelling out. "WHAT THE FUCK IS YAOI?"
He could hear Tara and Sarah crack up laughing.
"Anyone seen Xion lately?" Axel asked Riku and Sam, both who shook their heads.
"Isn't she with Roxas?" The silver haired eighteen year old asked. Axel shook his head.
"Nope."
"That's odd… she's always with him."
"Maybe she needed some fresh air?" Sam suggested.
"I don't see why she'd be gone for very long, though, if that was the case." The Flurry of Dancing Flames frowned.
"Looking for No.i, Lea?"
Everyone turned to look at the blunette. Axel snarled, summoning his chakrams.
"Saїx! Where is she?"
"Safe, for now." He replied. "But if you don't hurry, those vines may suffocate her…"
"SAЇX!" Axel darted forwards, only to be blocked by a Berserker Nobody. He growled as several more of the large Nobodies appeared. Sam unsheathed her Samurai sword, and Riku summoned his Keyblade.
Three of the Nobodies fell before anyone had moved.
Riku, Sam and Axel stared at the three newcomers. One looked like Roxas's long lost identical twin, another was a young woman about Riku's age – seventeen-ish – and the last was a man a couple years older than her.
The three continued to attack the Nobodies, so Riku, Sam and Axel joined in until all of the Berserkers had been destroyed. Riku straightened up and allowed his blade to vanish. He looked over at the three newcomers. All had Keychain-less Keyblades, which they all allowed to vanish.
"Ventus! Aqua! Terra!"
The three looked up as three more people darted out of the palace and into the courtyard. Leera, Leran and Kazuya. They stopped a few meters from the group.
"It's been a few years, hasn't it?" The Roxas-lookalike commented, crossing his arms. Leera giggled slightly, causing Riku to raise an eyebrow.
"Thirteen at my last count, Ven."
"Geez."
"Where's Hannah?" The blue-haired young woman asked. Leera, Leran and Kazuya's expressions changed to solemn ones. "She's not dead, is she?"
"No, but she will be if we don't defeat Death and give Fate control of the Afterlife." Leera answered. "Death's killed Sora, and if we don't save him…"
"Hannah will cease to exist." The brown-haired man muttered. Leera nodded.
"OH!" Ventus seemed to remember something, and walked over to Leera. "I have something for you." He took her hands and cupped them between his own. Their hands lit up, dully at first, but then it got brighter and larger until everyone but Leera and Ven had to shield their eyes.
When the light dimmed and eventually faded away, Leera, Leran and Kazuya looked quite different.
Leera and Leran looked sixteen. Her clothing remained similar, although the pants changed to loose-fitting black jeans, and the sleeve-less zip shirt was now too big for her, but she was physically shorter, and so was her hair, which now only reached past her chin. She still had her army boots. She also had a spiked choker around her neck, and matching wristbands.
Leran was the same height as his twin, wearing loose fitting black pants and a silver shirt.
Kazuya was wearing a black medieval style cloak, with black pants and a silver shirt that was cut off diagonally. On the right side it stopped at his hip, the left at his knee. He appeared to be only thirteen. On his left wrist was Roxas's checkerboard wristband, and he had a matching choker around his neck.
All three looked over themselves, and laughed. Leera practically tackled Ven, although he managed to keep his balance and on his feet.
"Thank you."
Ventus smiled. "Don't mention it."
Riku looked over at Ven's two companions. Why did they seem familiar? "I'm Riku. Who are you two?" He asked.
"I'm Terra," the man answered, "and this is Aqua."
"Leera and Ven seem pretty close." Riku crossed his arms, watching the two chat back and forth.
"Their hearts are connected." Aqua answered him. "By the age of sixteen a Princess must've made a connection to someone. Leera would've died if she hadn't connected her heart to Ven's. Their connection is powerful, and thus they almost know what the other is thinking."
"That's why Leera wanted to wake him up so badly… that she'd risk Xehanort…" Riku didn't finish his sentence, because Aqua and Terra had looked at him with questioning glances. He shook his head. "Long story."
"Is that Ventus?"
Riku looked over his shoulder at Tara, who suddenly let out a fangirl-like squeal and then darted up to Terra, then Aqua. "AndTerraandAquaohmygodtheentiretrio'sheresomeonekillmenow."
Riku smacked her up the side of the head.
"Preeeeeeetty stars…" Tara let out a 'whee!' before collapsing. Riku stared at her.
"FINALLY!" He exclaimed. "SOME PEACE AND QUIET! Please tell me we're sending her back to earth…" Terra shook his head, and Aqua sighed. "I should probably get her inside…"
"Probably." Terra agreed. Riku frowned.
"SARAH! COME GET TARA!"
"We have to go to Earth. It's the only way to find the Organization." Ven shook his head. He, Terra, Aqua, Riku, Leera, Kazuya, Leran, Link, Tara and Sarah were all sitting in a small closed off lounge room. Tara's laptop was on the dark, round coffee table. "You said Reno was willing to help out if we needed him, right?" Ventus asked Axel, who nodded. "What about Arlene?" Axel looked down.
"Arlene, or rather, Larxene, is on the other team."
"Ah. Right." Ven looked back at the computer. "What if we were to send in a decoy?"
"What do you mean? Anyone we send in, they already know to be on our side. Saїx and Axel have already attacked." Riku commented.
"What about Roxas? Or Xion?"
"Same thing." Tara answered. "Saїx would've killed Axel if Roxas and Xion hadn't shown up."
"Hmm…" Ven frowned.
"Wait…" Tara began to pace. "Sarah, Castle Oblivion Incident."
"Larxene, Marluxia, Vexen, Lexaeus and Zexion were sent to Castle Oblivion to track Sora's movements." Sarah began. Tara nodded. "The Dusks brought whisperings of betrayal back so Axel was dispatched. Larxene and Marluxia schemed to take over the Organization… I think I see where you're going with this…"
"Larxene can be convinced, can't she? If it means taking out Xemnas…"
"She and Marluxia just might…" Axel realized what they were saying now. "All we have to do is find Larxene…"
Easier said than done.