Alright, dudes. This week has been a wild ride with finals and all, and I had no free time to do anything except fall into a brain-dead coma, but I've finally pulled myself together and have happily gotten to home plate which is Spring Break. Fun times. Anyway, I had fun with this update. I used it to vent the anxieties that come with final. And Spoiler: it's a slight cliffie. Couldn't help myself. Muahaha. Fun times, dudes, fun times.

So thanks to all of my reviewers: Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, Mirror and Darkling, Shinimegami7, CloudedMirror, miforever29, Aindel S. Druida, XfallenXshadowX, Ultima Eagle, whereowhere-is-my-rabbit, 73n5Hl, Chaotic Darkness, japan_fan101, Ivy J., andhearts, FlurryDivider, Anon.

The more reviews I get for this next chapter, the faster I'll update! Reviews are the fuel and muse to my creativity. ^^

O


Chapter 12


Leon, Cloud, and Sora were quickly ushered into the tree house after Sora was able to be moved. Shivering, Riku ran his hands through his hair, trying to card out some of the tangles as he watched Aerith gently help her son down onto the couch. Sora coughed a bit as he dropped down, waving Aerith away with a small smile, though the expression didn't reach his eyes as he glanced over at Riku. "It's okay, mother. I'm alright. Riku got me out of the water in time."

Aerith turned to Riku, her expression so grateful that Riku had to look away. "Thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to him."

Blushing slightly, Riku shrugged nonchalantly. "It was nothing."

With a small smile and shake of her head, Aerith nonetheless turned her attention to her eldest son sitting on the couch across from them. "Cloud? Are you hurt anywhere badly that I need to take a look at first?"

Cloud shook his head, dirty with the dark swamp earth and blood. "My cuts are shallow." He raised his left hand which had a slash across the back of it to his lips and gave it a tentative lick. Much to Riku's surprise the wound began to seal up. It appeared as though Cloud had inherited some healing traits from his mother. "Leon has the worse injuries."

Beside him, Leon let out a low grunt but allowed Aerith to lift his shirt up. A large gash had been torn into his side. Shaking his bangs away from his sweat-streaked face, the lion growled softly as she began to inspect it closer. "It was some sort of strange animal Heartless. Latched onto me and bit down before I could shake it off." He hissed as Aerith murmured a sympathetic Cure spell, the magic immediately beginning to do its work. "But we need to finalize our plans. Where's Axel?"

"I'm coming." Riku looked over as Axel came down the stairs, Roxas right behind him. The redhead was carrying a stack of blankets. Behind him, Roxas was clutching onto a bundle of clothing. "Just needed to get some things so those two wouldn't catch hypothermia on us." He tossed a blanket to Riku who caught it and quickly wrapped it around his shoulders, eager for the extra warmth.

Meanwhile, Roxas moved over to his brother, helping Sora out of his soaked shirt in exchange for a dry one. Riku forced his gaze elsewhere as Sora changed, feeling himself inexplicably interested in seeing the other's bare skin. Over the past few days he was finding himself more and more attracted to the boy. As he began to enjoy his personality, he was also thinking more and more about his almost feminine and vibrant features. He couldn't even remember how many times he had thought of Sora as cute just in the last few hours. Kairi was nothing more than a figure in what seemed to be a past life. He had never felt this strongly for her anyway. Not once. With Sora though, it had been an instant connection, and it was as if the boy was becoming ingrained in his life.

"So what's the game plan?"

Axel's loud interjection broke through Riku's thoughts, pulling him back to the present situation as the redhead perched on the back of the couch Leon and Cloud were sitting on. Riku slowly began to dry his hair off as Leon sighed.

"As you know we have been trying to put together some tactical plan ever since we got out of the palace. We need to strike Xemnas before he can get us, but as we've talked about before, we would need some sort of inside help. Otherwise, I have no idea how we could manage to get safely inside a second time. Now that they know about the sewer exit, it would not be a viable entrance anymore."

Axel hummed, his question serious despite his light tone. "So what you're saying is up to this point, you've been stalling in presenting a plan because you don't think there is one."

Leon shrugged, sucking in a gasp with a wince as Aerith found another deep wound a little higher up his torso than the first. Next to him, Cloud frowned and leaned against him, nuzzling the other man's arm. With a small smile, Leon bumped his head against Cloud's. "I'll be fine. But yes, Axel, you're right. I don't have a plan. However if things continue the way they are, we will be cornered in this marsh. Either we break out, or we're going to be caught."

Listening into the conversation, Demyx walked over from the kitchen area, a tray of hot tea and cups in his hands. "I could sneak us out, if I had to. I still know of paths they couldn't have figured out yet. Here," he handed a cup of tea to Sora then another to Riku. "This will warm you up fast enough."

Axel frowned thoughtfully and tilted his head to the side. "If we could sneak out without them noticing, we might have a better chance of getting into the castle while they're occupied here."

"Although, once again, we'd have to worry about the palace guards. And we don't know how many of the Superior's lackeys are here rather than there." Leon paused. "It's not a bad idea though. In any case it would undoubtedly be the best chance we had at getting back inside. If the sewer entrance is indeed being guarded then I know of a few side entrances into the palace for the servants. They have always been guarded as well, but it would be easier to get into them then to have to crawl through the sewer tunnel again." As Aerith finished healing him, Leon leaned forward and massaged his temples. "Demyx. How much more time do you think we have to make a final decision?"

Setting down his tea tray, Demyx tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I think we still have a few hours. Now that I know they have water Heartless, I can seal off the pools around us to create a barrier. And since the other Heartless haven't made it in too far yet, we should still have like a day."

"Good. Your Highnesses. Please, rest for a few hours. After that, we can make our escape. Riku, please go up with them to their bedroom. I suppose you could get some sleep as well."

Riku frowned. "What, am I supposed to do, sleep on the floor?"

"Probably."

Riku snorted as Sora shifted a little next to him. The prince bit his lip then spoke up. "If you guys are going to stay up, then maybe I could just take one of your beds instead? That way Riku won't have to sleep on the floor."

The prince's eyes went to Demyx. The water god blinked then smiled easily. "Sure. I'm not going to be sleeping anytime soon if I'm going to seal off the water around here, so you can go ahead and take my bed if you want to rest for a bit."

Sora nodded, his fingers wrapping around the tea cup in his hands as he looked down thoughtfully at his drink. Roxas did not look so pleased with what he saw, his eyes flashing with some worried emotion. "Sora…"

"We can't make Riku sleep on the floor. He saved my life today, I think he has earned that much."

Roxas frowned but merely crossed his arms as Aerith smiled behind her hand. With a quiet hum, she reached over and took her youngest's hand. "Come on, Roxas. Let's go upstairs. It has been an eventful day for all of us. Sora, you and Riku come along as well. The two of you need more rest than us."

A frown twitched onto Riku's face at the motherly affection, it was still too much for him some times, but he followed the family up the stairs as the others remained on the ground level for more intense conversation. Upstairs, he made his way to his bedroom. Sora was already pulling the covers back on Demyx's bed, the prince looking somewhat cheerful as he looked up at Riku when he walked in. "You're still wearing your soaked clothes. You should change before you catch a cold."

"Yeah." Riku couldn't really argue with that, his clothes were still plastered to his skin. He pulled off his shirt and pants, spreading them out on the floor to dry better before he got into his bed. He hated going to bed with wet hair, but he had dried it off as best he could and there was nothing more for it. The only thing he could do would be to get as much sleep as possible.

Before he could go to sleep though, Sora carefully moved over to his bed. Feeling the mattress dipping under the slight added weight, Riku propped himself up onto his elbows. "Um…Riku?" Riku gave a questioning murmur and Sora tentatively continued. "Thank you. For saving me. I…I was really scared, but I knew I would be okay when I saw you dive in after me."

Riku flushed lightly then he looked away. He couldn't believe he was actually blushing, but he could feel his cheeks burning. "It…it was nothing. I didn't have much of a choice anyway. My body reacted before I could even think."

"Heh, yeah." Sora smiled weakly. "I guess that's because you're my Guardian. I'm sorry. That must really irritate you, right? To not have control?" He looked down at his lap and clenched his hands. His expression was flickering quickly to something more distressed and Riku didn't like that he could see tears building in the other's eyes. "I was really happy to have you back with me, but you're not happy. It seems as if you're never enjoying yourself, not with any of us. Not even with me. You can't even save my life without blaming it on the Guardian connection. I guess from your perspective our connection is just like being possessed by Xehanort's Heartless, right?"

"Hey…" Shit. Sora was crying now. Scowling, Riku sat up completely and grabbed Sora's chin. Sora blinked with surprise as he then wiped the trail of tears away with his thumb. "Don't be such an idiot." True, he lost control both to his Guardian instincts and to Xehanort's Heartless, but… "They're not the same. Xehanort's Heartless is psychotic. At least with you, I know that I'm protecting you."

Sora looked away. "But still, it's not because you wanted to protect me, it's because you had to. And I hate that. I've been trying really hard to get you to like me again, but you seem so far away all the time. It's like I can't even reach you."

Now Riku was just getting irritated. With a scowl, moved closer, gripping Sora's chin harder. "What are you even talking about? It's not like I hate you-"

"I don't want your indifference!" New tears trickled down Sora's cheeks. "I want, I want you to like me. I've been trying to be positive, and to be really friendly. Roxas told me it was pointless, but I like you so much, and I still see you as my best friend. I just want you to be happy that you're my Guardian, and to like spending time with me."

"I wouldn't mind being your Guardian, but it was like I had no choice!" Riku knew he was shouting at this point, but he couldn't stop himself. "I'm not mad at you, I'm mad that it was thrown onto me!" He could feel himself shaking. This was the first time in his life that he had lost his composure so badly. Forcing himself to calm down, he addressed a wide-eyed Sora again. "I don't mind spending time with you. You're…you're a good person, and I like being with you…" He couldn't believe he had just said that out loud. But it was the truth, and he would say it if it meant that Sora would stop crying. "I wouldn't mind being your Guardian if I had had a choice about it."

Sora blinked then suddenly lurched forward and pulled Riku into a tight hug. Riku stiffened then relaxed slightly into the prince's arms, awkwardly setting his hands on his back as Sora shook. Was Sora really that happy that he had said those things? "Hey…Sora."

Sora let out a little laugh, pulling away just enough for Riku to see that he was smiling. There was also a glow about his skin, the light a testament to his happiness as his smile widened. "That's the first time in so long that I've heard you say my name!" Suddenly Sora grabbed Riku's hands, "If you really wouldn't mind, then I'll ask you again. Riku Jenovan, would you be my Guardian?"

Riku paused in surprise. Sora was looking at him so intently. He looked like such a normal person, in his too-big change of clothes, sitting on his bed with his large blue eyes. He didn't look like a prince at all. He just looked like an anxious teenage boy waiting for a reply. If he said no, would Sora listen to his wishes? Could he say no? He'd gotten used to being with Sora in the last few days. The little light elemental had literally brightened his life, as cheesy as that was. While he was here, in this world, there really wasn't anything else he could do anyway.

"Of course. It's my birthright."

A bright smile lit Sora's face and he leaned forward, glowing happily. Riku's eyes widened as the other boy then kissed him. That's right, Axel and Roxas had kissed to seal the deal too. But this couldn't have been what that kiss had felt like. It felt much too intimate.

Before he knew it though, the kiss was over and Sora had pulled away again. The prince was blushing, one of his hands rising to cover his lips. "Uh…it wasn't like that when we were kids, I promise! I'm sorry if it was too long!"

Seeing Sora so flustered made Riku more confident for some reason and he smirked easily. Okay, so he might like Sora a little. He was just too cute and emotional. Time to have some fun then. Wrapping an arm around Sora's shoulders, Riku pulled him down into bed with him, snickering as Sora let out a squeak of surprise, finding himself now face to face with the silver-haired boy.

'R-Riku!"

"Leon said that we should get some sleep, right? So let's sleep."

"But, Riku…!"

"I like you, alright?" Riku bumped their foreheads together. "Stop worrying and don't cry over something stupid like that. Next time I'll save you because I want to, not because I have to."

Sora swallowed then nodded shyly, the blush still stained across his cheeks. Then he smiled and closed his eyes. "Thanks, Riku. You've made me really happy!"

With a soft grunt, Riku merely closed his eyes, hand reaching up to blindly ruffle Sora's hair. "Just go to sleep."

Riku must have drifted off after that because the next thing he was aware of was a large bang from downstairs followed by a series of animated conversation. Groaning, he reached up to rub the sleep from his face only to have his hand bump against another body. Oh yeah, he had Sora sleep with him. The bump had woken Sora and the young prince slowly shifted, letting out a small murmur as he blinked his blue eyes open. Their gazes met but just as Sora had opened his mouth to say something a crash echoed up from down stairs.

Riku frowned as Sora sprung up, "What was that?"

Sitting up at a slower pace, Riku ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know, but it woke me up." Another round of exclamations pierced through the floorboards and Riku's brow furrowed. Rolling out of bed, he grabbed his shirt and pulled it on with a wince, the fabric felt dry and wrinkled on his skin. "I'll go check it out."

He didn't even bother to stay for Sora's response before he left the room. The voices were louder out in the open hallway. Seeing Roxas and Aerith coming down from their own bedroom, Riku shook his head then motioned for them to go into his room. Roxas frowned but grabbed his mother's hand and did as he was told, going to join Sora. With a flick of his hand, Riku called Soul Eater into his grasp, feeling more secure with it as he slowly crept down the stairs.

What met his sight though, was not what he had been expecting. Downstairs looked as if a hurricane had hit it. The furniture was all turned over, items were knocked off of shelves and scratch marks could be seen over everything. In the center of the mess, Cloud and Leon had their swords drawn, Axel next to them with his chakrams, all of them in defensive positions as Demyx crouched over a hunched form, the water god worriedly helping the figure up.

"What's going on down here?"

Leon looked up to where Riku was halfway down the stairs. "Heartless attack. They were following him."

Demyx interrupted Leon and straightened up to reveal Zexion covered in blood. "Riku! Go get Her Majesty, hurry! He's hurt really badly."

Riku stared at Zexion's hunched form then nodded curtly and bolted back upstairs. Running back to his room, he pushed open the door to find Sora and Roxas crowded nervously around their mother. When he saw him, Sora hopped to his feet. "Riku, what's wrong?"

"Aerith, they need your healing."

Aerith nodded her dress whispering about her legs as she gracefully stood up then rushed out of the room. Roxas stood up, the younger prince's eyes wide. "It's not Axel, is it? He's okay, right?"

"Axel's fine. Zexion found us, but he's hurt. If you don't believe me, go downstairs yourself. It's safe enough now."

Roxas frowned then pushed passed Riku, heading downstairs as Sora walked over to him. "Zexion? That was the spirit who told us to run from the palace, right? How did he find us?"

Riku shook his head. "I don't know. Let's go find out." He led the way back downstairs. By the time he got back down to the ground floor, a couch had been up-righted and Zexion was sitting on it next to Aerith and Demyx as the flower elemental murmured multiple Cure spells. Zexion had scratches up and down his body, his black cloak slashed as blood ran down his face from underneath his bangs. Aerith pushed the man's bangs back to reveal a wound along his hairline. Zexion's expression showed a twitch of pain as she touched the cut gently.

"Demyx, could you get me a bowl of water so we can clean the blood?"

Demyx quickly nodded to her request, hopping to his feet as Leon crouched down in front of Zexion. "What happened?"

With a frown, Zexion tisked. "I was hoping to reach you without suspicion. It seems though that my illusions are not so effective against pure Heartless as they are with normal spirits."

"How did you find us?"

Zexion rolled his eyes then indicated to his nose. "I can smell traces of darkness from Jenovan. Saix might follow scents like a dog but residues of magic last far longer. My specialty is in dark magic."

Riku felt Leon's gaze on him and he crossed his arms, looking over to Zexion. It wasn't his fault if Zexion was able to sniff him out. It wasn't as if he had done anything on purpose. "Why'd you follow us here, Zexion?"

With a sniff, Zexion frowned. "Don't be so tactless. I have come to help you, be happy I was able to track the lot of you down with only capturing the Heartless' attention." He paused as Demyx came back over with a bowl of water and a washcloth. Sitting next to him, Demyx wet the cloth then dabbed at the drying blood.

Noticing his pause, Demyx smiled weakly. "At least it's coming off well. Luckily it seems that everything just bled a lot. Well, that's not good, but it means that there are less injuries than there could have been!"

"And you are?"

Demyx paused then flushed lightly. "Heh! Sorry, that was so rude of me. I'm Demyx! It's nice to meet you."

Zexion raised an eyebrow then tilted his head to the side to allow Demyx better access to his face. "Hmph. Under the circumstances, I would not consider it a nice meeting, seeing as how I nearly bled myself out getting here. But I suppose it was fortunate that I arrived before the Superior reached you first." He sat up a little, his sharp blue eyes moving over to Leon. "I have come to tell you that there are some at the castle who would be willing to help your cause. Though they have remained silent up to now, they would be willing to aid you so long as they know that there is a strong possibility of reinstating the young royals to the throne."

Leon crossed his arms, his brow furrowing as he asked thoughtfully, "Which people are willing to help?"

"Lexaeus and Xigbar. And myself as well. As you know, Xigbar is the leader of the palace guards, so having him on your side would be critical for getting access into the palace grounds. Lexaeus and I can help you move through the palace unseen. The other lead spirits under the Superior never take the halls which we walk."

Riku hadn't met Xigbar yet, but he clearly remembered Lexaus. Tilting his head to the side, he asked curiously, "Why would you guys help us?"

A hint of annoyance flickered across Zexion's face. "It is not my place to question the others' motivations. The fact of the matter is that we are all putting our confidence with you, despite the odds. The Superior still has Marluxia, Vexen, Larxene, Saix, and Xaldin loyal to him for whatever personal reason. With that said, if you lead us into a losing fight, I cannot promise for the others that they will remain on your side if the Superior were to offer them a deal out."

"So what's the plan now, Leon? Is everything still a go?"

Leon looked to the ground at Axel's question. "The plan stays the same. We're getting out of here. Now we're just going to head to the palace like you first suggested. With a sure way in, it's the best plan. Your Majesty," Riku blinked as all eyes turned to Sora, "As the rightful heir to the throne, you will be the one who will take power if we succeed in taking the palace. Are you willing to do this?"

That's right. Sora was the old king's oldest son, since Cloud had come from Aerith's previous marriage. So he was going to be king if all of this worked out? Riku glanced over to Roxas to catch the younger prince's expression. Sitting next to Axel and his mother, Roxas's face showed no malice to the idea of his brother taking power. On the contrary, he looked concerned for Sora as his older brother became the focus of everyone's attention. Sora though, being Sora, took it in stride and nodded earnestly, his whole posture radiating with that royal power again. Unlike a few hours ago in their room, this Sora was completely confident.

"Of course I'm willing! We can't allow Xemnas to rule like this any longer. By usurping my father he threw this world into chaos and if nothing else, it is our duty as citizens of this world to regain power to restore that balance which he destroyed. For the good of everyone." Smiling, he put his hands on his hips. "And I know we can win, because I couldn't have gathered together a better group of spirits. With all of us working together, and backing each other, there's no way we can lose."

Riku shook his head as Leon nodded stoically. He couldn't believe that he actually thought such an idealist was cute. Even after that last speech, he was internally debating whether he should allow himself to feel inspired or if he should gag from its sunny positive outlook.

With a sigh, Zexion stood up despite Demyx's murmur of concern. "Very well. I will return to the palace and alert the others that you accepted our cooperation."

"We're heading toward the palace too." Axel said, a smirk on his face as he glanced over at Demyx, "You should just come with us."

"I travel faster alone. Besides, if you were indeed seen by one of the Superior's men, I would not want to be associated with you quite yet."

Demyx stood up, his bowl of now red-tinted water still clutched in his hands. "But your cloak, don't you want to change before you leave?"

Looking down at his ripped cloak, Zexion shook his head. With a wave of his fingers, a new layer of black fell on top of the old fabric, visually covering up the tears and making the cloak appear brand new. "An illusion will suit me until I reach the palace to change. I am sensitive to scents, as I have mentioned before. Wearing another's clothing would only hinder and endanger me." Zexion walked over to the front door. "You have my gratitude for tending to my wounds, I will-" Suddenly, Zexion paused, his visible eye widening slightly. "Dark magic is quickly approaching."

"More Heartless?"

Cloud ran to a window, throwing it open to sniff the air outside. "Leon! It's-" his sentence was cut off by a sharp yelp as a blur of blue leapt through the window, carrying the wolf spirit to the floor halfway across the room.

Riku instinctually stepped in front of Sora, Soul Eater in his hand as Heartless began to pour through the open window. Having sprung to his feet, Axel drew in front of Roxas and Aerith, chakrams at the ready as he shouted. "Everyone outside, we can't get trapped in here!"

As Axel said this, Cloud, who was still tangled with his opponent, shape-shifted into his wolf form. It wasn't until then that Riku realized his enemy was a wolf as well, the blue actually the color of the creature's fur. With a fierce snarl, Cloud bit at the other wolf then ran back a few steps in order to evaluate the situation. As soon as he got away, Leon had moved in, blocking Cloud from the other wolf as he held out his sword in front of him. "Axel, Demyx," he growled low as he stared the blue wolf down. "Lead the way."

"Right!" Demyx raised his hand, taking control of the water in the nearest fountains on the shelves and tables. "Dance, water, dance!"

The water quickly formed into familiar water clones, cutting through the Heartless. Axel ran forward, his chakrams spinning as he sliced through the Heartless that the water clones missed. Clearing through the Heartless in mere seconds, Axel reached the door. Zexion stepped out of the way as the redhead opened the door only to immediately close it. "We've got more company outside! More Heartless coming our way."

"I'll take care of them!" Rushing forward, Demyx drew his water clones together, shaping them into a great wave. "Open the door!"

Axel did as he was told and Demyx pushed the wave outside the house, bowling the approaching Heartless over. As the coast was momentarily cleared, Demyx stepped outside. "Quick! We should leave-!"

He was cut off as the blue wolf suddenly shook himself off, dodging Leon's swinging sword before bolting passed Demyx and through the open door. Letting out a low curse, Zexion moved forward, running to see the wolf dashing off between the trees. "I expect we only have a few seconds to come up with a plan. Saix will undoubtedly be notifying the others of our situation."

Riku started. He hadn't realized that Saix had literally been the same type of wolf spirit as Cloud. Speaking of Cloud, the silvery wolf was shaking himself off, bumping his head against Leon's leg. His fur was speckled with blood, but his injuries didn't seem to be serious. But apparently they were in real trouble now. Riku stiffened as he felt Sora's fingers grasping onto the back of his shirt in concern. Reaching down to touch Cloud's head, Leon frowned. "Get ready to fight then. Our main concern should be with breaking through their ranks. If we all hit in one direction, we might be able to break out. I'll make the first attack and you can come in after me."

Sure enough though, as soon as Saix had disappeared into the swamp, three more figures stepped into the clearing. Walking to the door, Leon adjusted his grip on his sword, his shoulders tensing as he viewed them coming closer. Suddenly he dug the sword into the floor. He looked back at the others. "I'll give you a few seconds. Take that time to get the princes and the queen out of here."

With that said, Leon changed into a massive lion. He was a dark brown, a darker mane making him look completely the part of the king of the beasts. Shaking his head, Leon looked back at them once before taking a step outside. As Leon braced himself, Sora tensed, grabbing Riku's arm. "Hold on, it's Proud Roar."

"What-?"

Riku didn't have time to even finish his thought when Leon suddenly released an earth-shattering roar. It shook the house, every item rattling on their shelves as a sonic blast of air shot out. Inside the house, Riku was thrown to the ground, crashing back into Sora. Right before he fell, he saw the figures outside flying back several feet, the sound boom having been much more powerful from the front. Seeing Axel scramble to his feet, Riku picked himself up as well and reached back for Sora's hand. Grasping it tightly, the smaller hand warm in his own, he ran past Leon and out into the cold air.

Seeing that the black figures were still stunned on the ground, Riku ran along the side of the tree house. He glanced back only once to see Axel right behind them, followed closely behind by Roxas and Aerith as the others poured out of the house to attack the fallen cloaked figures. He noticed that Zexion remained inside, or else, he couldn't see the illusionist coming out.

Riku had just gotten out of sight of the others when a form jumped out from the darkness to block his place. It was that blue wolf, Saix. Nearly tripping over his feet, Riku stumbled to a stop, grunting as Sora ran into his back. In front of them, Saix crouched down low, his lips curling over sharp canines in a fierce warning snarl. Riku could hear Axel and the others come to a halt as the wolf growled low.

Axel spoke up from behind him. "Get out of our way. It's five against one. You've got no chance of winning."

"Are you so sure of your numbers?" A figure stepped out from behind Saix, coming out of the darkness itself. Riku adjusted his grip on his weapon as the man, the voice was too low to be otherwise, took a step closer. A chill came with him, sending a shiver straight through Riku's body. "Perhaps your numbers are not as strong as you would have supposed. Jenovan, I have given you time to think about the agreement I had Xaldin propose to you. Will you come to our side? From what I can see you have been making good use of my gift to you."

Riku's eyes widened slightly. So this was Xemnas then. The Superior. The current leader of the spirit world. Swallowing, Riku pulled himself together and shook his head. "Yeah, I thought about it. And I'm going to have to say no."

"What a shame. And here I thought that you wanted to go back to live among the humans."

"I do. But I swore to be Sora's Guardian and I have never made a promise which I couldn't keep."

"Your father easily broke his oath."

Riku bristled. "I am not my father."

"As I said before; what a shame. Saix!"

Riku let out a shout of surprise as the blue wolf sprang forward, jumping clear over Riku and Sora. Taking his eyes off of Xemnas for a second to see Saix tackle Axel to the ground, Riku let out a shout of surprise when he felt an ice cold cut slice across his arm. Whipping around, he saw Xemnas wielding two red blade-like swords, one of them coming toward his face. Grimacing, he raised Soul Eater just in time to block the attack, already feeling overwhelmed as Xemnas struck again and again. Realization that he was alone against this person settled in, along with the fact that Xemnas was really out to kill him. He wasn't ready for this.

Each time he did manage to get passed the dark spirit's swords, the other would use a Dark Shield to block his blows. Riku himself didn't have the ability to focus quickly enough to call his own Dark Shield between his sword maneuvers, so every blow that Xemnas got through his defenses, he got cut.

He tottered back after a particularly nasty slice across his shoulder; he had managed to twist out of the way of it piercing through his chest but he could still feel the wound bleeding profusely as he tried to lift his sword to block the next volley of Xemnas's attack. He wasn't going to be quick enough though. His arms felt too weak and he had only been fighting for a few minutes. Riku held his breath as the first blow came down onto him.

It never reached him.

Sora had stepped between him and Xemnas, blocking the dark spirit's attack with his Keyblade, the prince standing in a resolutely defensive position as Xemnas pulled back in surprise.

Trying to talk over his pants to pull in a sufficient amount of air, Riku shook his head, Guardian panic beginning to invade his mind. It didn't matter that he was wounded, Sora was not supposed to put himself in danger! "Sora, stay back!"

"No. I'm not letting you fight this on your own, Riku. It's not a fair battle!"

Xemnas smirked, stilling his weapons for the moment. "How intriguing. The prince has to defend his Guardian. You must truly care for Jenovan then, Your Highness. But are you sure you can trust him? Even when even now I can sense that he is being possessed by another dark spirit?"

Riku couldn't see it since Sora was standing in front of him, but he could hear the indignant frown in the prince's reply. "Of course I can trust him! I trust him with my life. It doesn't matter that he's possessed, he's strong enough to fight against it."

"Is he now?" Xemnas lifted his hand, a black glow filling his palm. Riku grabbed for Sora as the marsh around them grew cold and darkened; Xemnas was filling it with dark magic and Sora was beginning to look slightly sick. "I know that sprit is Xehanort's Heartless which I set into the door to guard you. Let us see us see how strong the Jenovan child really is."

As soon as the words left the man's mouth, Xehanort's Heartless reared forward in his mind. Riku winced then gasped as the spirit's victorious laughter filled his head. He tried to fight it as Sora called out to him but the cold power was overwhelming, driving him down to his knees. He had never felt Xehanort's Heartless' power so strongly. In front of them, Xemnas had a cold smile on his face as he watched Sora crouch over a struggling Riku, the cloaked man speaking up as Riku began to tremble. "Xehanort's Heartless. You should remember the task I assigned to you if you were to ever come across His Majesty Prince Sora."

Riku internally cursed as he felt Xehanort's Heartless taking control. He didn't want to know what they had planned for Sora. He had just made his decision to fight along side the prince, he didn't want it to have been the wrong decision. And he didn't want his first time acting as a real Guardian to be such a failure. He had never failed at anything before. His pride wouldn't be able to take it. With the last bit of his strength, he reached out with his left hand, his sword trembling in his right. "Sora. Get out of here."

Sora grabbed his outstretched hand, the prince's glowing softly in an apparent attempt to buffer back the dark magic. "N-No. You can fight it. I'm here for you."

"Touching, but its too late for the boy. I have been looking forward to this."

Riku knew that he had lost control to Xemnas, but still, he didn't even feel his arm move. His eyes were on Sora's face, and the first thing he saw were the boy's blue eyes widening as he released a strange choked sound. Almost in slow motion, the glow dimmed around Sora's body and as he slumped down, Riku's eyes traveled down to see Soul Eater jutting out of his side, just below his ribcage.

He could hear Xehanort's Heartless laugh as he faded back into the confines of his subconscious but Riku was in such shock that he could only catch Sora as he fell. The boy's breath was coming out in ragged pants as Riku grabbed onto him, pained gasps escaping him as his fingers clenched onto Riku's shirt. For his own part, Riku felt a wave of nausea welling up inside him, Guardian instincts crying out in a desperate scream.

What had he done?!

Too soon he felt himself pulled away, a frigid hand latching onto his arm as Xemnas's voice hit his ear, the tone far too happy for what had just happened. "As far as I am concerned, our deal still stands, and you will get your end of the bargain. You successfully delivered the princes to me. Saix!"

Riku didn't even know what hit him as he felt a large weight crash against his back. It caused him to black out a second and when he opened his eyes again, he could only stare helplessly at the sight before him.

The marsh was gone.

Sora was gone.

He was back on Destiny Islands, torn up and bloody and sick in his stomach and chest. But he was back.


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