Di immortals, this is literally the longest chapter I've ever written. The product of a guilty conscious I suppose, for posting it so late (you may be clued into this if you checked up on my profile and piteous begging for patience, and you were very patience, so, thanks, dudes!). I was surprised by how many people though that Sephy was actually going to hurt Riku though, I mean, he's crazy at times, yeah, but he probably wouldn't intentionally hurt his own offspring, ya know? In other news, all you who reviewed totally rock as usual. I love you all, you're awesome and all that.

Thanks to: DieChan, Shinimegami7, 73n5Hl, -chan, XfallenXshadowX, CloudedMirror89, andhearts, Twilight Emo Wind Goddess 801, Chronos Mephistopheles, zi-ling, XxsneakydevxX, Chaotic Darkness, Ultima Phoenix, Staple Queen, FlurryDivider, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, becoafamu, Dust to Dusk.

I'm gonna go take a nap now. Please enjoy the chapter! ^^'

O


Chapter 15


The palace looked as imposing as ever as their small group approached its dark form. Like before, a few points of light shimmered out from some of the windows, giving a hint of the bright world inside. As they approached the outer walls, Zexion motioned for them to get behind a small patch of brush, possibly the same exact ones that Riku, Axel, and Cloud had hidden behind before.

Not liking the sensation of déjà vu, Riku crouched down next to the smaller man. "What is your plan?"

"The two of you need to stay here while I approach the wall. Do not reveal yourselves until I come for you or else you may be killed."

"What are you going to do though?"

"I have a plan." With this somewhat vague reply, Zexion stood up, glancing back at the two of them as if to make sure that they were really staying put before he started to walk to the palace.

From behind their hiding spot, Riku frowned, trying to peer through the foliage of the bushes to see what Zexion was doing. He didn't know what Zexion had planned, but he clearly remembered how fast the guards on the walls responded to the sight of a stranger. What if Zexion's so-called ally wasn't up on the walls right now and Zexion was shot down? Of course Riku wasn't completely convinced that he should trust Zexion yet, so who was to say that Zexion wasn't going to betray them? Crouched beside him, Namine whispered questioningly, "What's wrong?"

"Who says something's wrong?"

"You tensed suddenly. Can you see anything?"

"I can't see anything, and that's the problem. I'm not quite sure about Zexion though. He just suddenly shows up and talks about wanting to help us. There's even a possibility that he lead Saix in the others to Demyx's house himself." Riku shifted, his teal eyes meeting Namine's blue.

Namine frowned. "I do not think he would do something like that."

"You don't know that. His job is to make illusions, it wouldn't be too hard for someone like that to fool us into thinking that he's on our side. If things go wrong here, if right now he's telling them exactly where we are, we're going to have to get out of here fast-"

"Whoah, dude. Totally not feeling the love here, maybe I should be getting back to the wall."

The laid-back voice had suddenly come from behind. Startled, Riku grabbed Namine's arm, the two of them falling back into the bush, twisting around to see a tall cloaked figure behind them. The hood was thrown back, revealing a middle-aged man with long hair pulled back into a pony tail, the hair streaked with silver. He was clearly a fighter; he had an eye patch over one eye and a large scar down the other side of his face. In his hands were a pair of strange weapons; some kind of gun with arrows radiating out from its magazine.

The spirit grinned at their wide-eyed expression, the smile appearing somewhat manic with the eye patch and scar. "Man, they're nothing but punk kids and scared shitless! What did you do to them, Zexion?"

There was a rush of air next to the man's right shoulder and Zexion appeared out of the thin air, apparently having cloaked himself with one of his illusions. "I did nothing to them." He seemed emotionless as ever. "And they were right to be wary about me. We have not been working in cooperation for too long and I have done nothing to prove my loyalty. If you had any self control and hadn't jumped them, they wouldn't have been so scared." Zexion's sharp gaze turned to Riku and Namine. "You can get up now, this is Xigbar, captain of the palace guards."

As Riku and Namine got to their feet, Xigbar sent them a mock solute. "Happy to be of service, little dudes." He pointed to Riku, "I totally remember you. You're one of the three guys that tried to run out of castle a while back with the two princes, right? Man, that was a close call, having to watch you from up on the wall nearly gave me a heart attack."

Riku bristled, brushing dirt off of his pants as he glared up at Xigbar. "Then why the hell did you shoot at us? If you were on our side, you should have just let us go."

"As if. If I had done that, I'd be dead right now." Xigbar shook his head with a smile. "Besides, I told everyone not to hit you, all the shots were well clear of you guys. If I had actually been aiming to shoot you guys down, you would have been killed right then and there! You guys are pretty lucky that I had been up at the walls at that time."

"And I feel so lucky too" Riku drawled. He looked over to Zexion, "Are we getting inside or not?"

Zexion opened his mouth to answer but before he could get a word out, Xigbar had grabbed his thin arm. "Psh, yeah, you're getting inside. One at a time though." He gave them another salute as Zexion's visible eye widened, a hint of panic in the smaller spirit's eyes before Xigbar suddenly disappeared with Zexion in tow.

Riku blinked. That had been, unexpected. Just as he took a step forward, he heard Namine let out a small noise of surprise and turned just in time to see Xigbar flash into view next to her, grab her, then disappear again.

And now he was alone. Inwardly cursing, Riku spun around, looking for any signs of life around him. This wasn't good. He didn't like that he had no idea where the others had gone or what was happening. Where had Xigbar taken Zexion and Namine? He tensed as he felt a twitch of air movement behind him and instinctually struck out with his fist. The blow was caught by a large hand, a relaxed chuckle hitting his ear. Twisting around, Riku saw Xigbar and his sly amber gaze right next to him, well within his boundary of personal space.

Just as Riku was about to snarl out a warning for him to back off, Xigbar's smile widened. "Hey, awesome move there, I'm impressed that you felt that coming! But it's time to go."

As soon as Xigbar's hand landed on his arm, Riku felt his stomach lurch. It was similar to the sensation of freefalling on a roller coaster ride, his eyes were open but he couldn't really understand what he was seeing until within the span of a heartbeat his feet were back on solid ground. Legs buckling under him at the landing, Riku fell to the ground, shaking his spinning head as he heard Xigbar laughing. "Ah ha ha, I love teleporting newbies! Your reactions are great. Of course I could never get sick of yours, Zexy!"

Riku lifted his head to see that they were in one of the inner hallways of the palace. A grinning Xigbar was standing next to Zexion, who appeared to be bracing himself against the wall. Zexion was definitely pale, even a little green. Wiping his forehead off with his sleeve, Zexion glared up at the other cloaked spirit. "I loathe you right now."

"I know, I love ya' too." Jauntily lifting his hand to rest one of his weapons up onto his shoulder, his grin fell a little. "This has been fun, but I've got to get back to the walls before Superior notices I'm off my post. Come and find me if you need any help. I'll search you out if I ever have anything to report. See you later, dudes!"

Xigbar vanished once again, two flashes of light the only indication of his disappearance. Recovering from his rolling stomach, Riku picked himself up then walked over to Namine. She was slightly pale, but smiled weakly at him. "I didn't expect that to happen. It felt like one of those rides in an amusement park!"

"You thought so too?" Riku's gaze shifted to Zexion and he couldn't help but smirk at the other's sick complexion. "You okay, Zexion?"

"Perfectly fine." With a few breaths, Zexion straightened up, "I just needed a moment away from that accursed space elemental."

So Xigbar was an element of space. He was able to manipulate space then, which would explain that wild ride each of them just took. "Then why are you still pale?"

Zexion scowled then a shimmer of air ran down his face, his coloring returning to its normal flush. But Riku had caught it this time. That was definitely an illusion. Even if he had known that Riku had seen, Zexion nevertheless fixed him with a business-like frown. "Either way, we don't have time for this nonsense. Can you sense the Crown Prince or can't you?"

The smirk dropped from Riku's lips as he immediately sobered. That's right, Sora was still in trouble. There would be time for fun later. Closing his eyes, Riku tried to send his senses out in all directions, searching for any hint of Sora's aura. He could feel his energy pushing though walls and floors, spreading in all directions like a three-dimensional ripple, trying to feel for that one patch of light, that one warmth which his soul could immediately cling onto. His silver brows furrowed as his first mental sweep through the castle picked up nothing; no instinctual pull demanding that he go in any particular direction. "I, I don't sense him," he murmured. Concern, a precursor to panic, was beginning to creep into his thoughts. Why couldn't he sense Sora? What did that mean? "I don't sense him anywhere. Zexion, you said you saw them bring him here?"

"He's here." Zexion's calm voice cut off his inner turmoil before it could spiral out of control. "He might have been better hidden though. Search for darkness instead of light, we'll look there first."

Frowning, Riku nonetheless reached out again with his senses, this time searching for patches of darkness. It was a different experience; he had only ever looked for Sora, so instead he just searched for the area which felt the exact opposite of the Prince's warmth.

His eyes flashed open as his mind caught something. Something above their heads and to the side. A freezing cold sensation, a void of black darker than anything else found on the palace grounds. "Upstairs." He pointed to the right direction as well as he could.

Zexion nodded. "I thought as much, judging by the smells. Those would be the quarters normally reserved for the royal family, but the Superior has occupied them lately. Undoubtedly he has moved the princes closer to him so as to keep a stronger watch on them, and that area has been so saturated with dark magic that the Prince's magic, no matter how strong, would have been overwhelmed."

Was Sora really stuck in a pitch black room then? Riku's blood ran cold at the thought of Sora actually stuck in that place he had dreamed of. "Which way is the fastest path?"

Zexion nodded to the left. "This way, follow me."

Riku did without question. He felt Namine close behind him as they started walking, her fingers closing around his wrist as her quiet voice hit his ear, "Riku, it's going to be okay."

"You don't know that," he muttered coldly. He wasn't in the mood to be comforted. He couldn't believe that he had even momentarily forgotten about Sora's predicament.

Much to his relief, Namine fell silent as Zexion led them to a small spiral staircase. The lack of decoration in the staircase showed that it was made for servant's use; it was nothing but plain white stone. Zexion's steps were constant and sure, clearly he knew exactly where he was going. The chill of the dark magic was soaking through the upper floor and Riku found himself getting colder and colder as they climbed up the stairs. But just like Zexion he didn't hesitate in his steps.

The floor above them was the finest part of the palace Riku had seen yet. He definitely hadn't been there before anyway, he would have remembered. The hall was twice as wide as the lower floor had been. The color theme was still white, but this time there were Classical columns attached to the wall. There were windows along side one side of the hall, an unnatural light shining in through their lacey stonework, plant-life molded from white stone winding around the edge of the windows and bringing it to life. This hall, flooded with light, was clearly the remains of the previous reign, completely fit for a king and light elemental. It was still so cold though; it was as if the white light had been turned to something sterile and terrifying.

Riku wanted to run his hands down some of the decorations but the imposing atmosphere and his desire to find Sora as soon as possible kept him walking straight down the center of the hallway. Their footsteps echoed in the silent hall but Riku couldn't help but notice that his were the loudest. In fact the only way he knew that Zexion was walking in front of him was the fact that he could see him, the spirit's footsteps were silent.

As they walked Zexion turned his head back to them slightly, his lips barely moving as he whispered. "These are the royal quarters, or rather, what used to belong to the royal family. The Superior took the king's suite for his own use."

Riku frowned, pushing his way passed Zexion as he increased his pace toward the overwhelming darkness coming from one of the rooms, trying to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. The hall wound around the lit side, indicating that the light was coming from within an inner courtyard, but just as Riku was turning the corner, Zexion grabbed his shoulder, halting him in his tracks.

Riku scowled, turning to demand that Zexion let him go when Zexion pulled him against the wall. "It would be unwise to simply walk blindly toward the Superior's most private quarters. It will be guarded." Riku frowned then tentatively poked his head around the corner to see what he could see.

There were indeed two guards. Surprisingly, they were actual human-looking spirits instead of heartless creatures. So apparently the Superior didn't fully trust the capacity of the Heartless after all if he saved the few remaining spirits for his own personal service. They stood at the end of the hall, flanking either side of two majestic double doors, their black and navy uniforms standing out starkly against the white architecture.

Zexion motioned for both Riku and Namine to be silent before he took a step back. He closed his eyes as if to focus before he lifted his hand, revealing a scrap of paper in his palm, a hand-written text written across it. A second later, the paper fluttered up, multiplying into thousands of scraps which wrapped around his cloak and body, plastering and encasing him in paper like a cocoon. The paper then expanded, pushing up into the air and out before they began to fly away again, twisting around him like a whirwind. As they left, they revealed a black robe several sizes larger than what Zexion wore, and much larger shoes and longer legs. The hand too was larger, and as the paper flew away from his face it revealed tan skin and long silver hair. The last of the paper to leave was that covering his eyes. As it fluttered away, Riku could literally see Zexion's usually blue eyes turn to amber, the small detail completing the look as all of the paper collected back into his larger outstretched hand, falling back into a compact single piece of paper.

The disguised Zexion looked down at them, his normally stoic expression terrifying on this face. "Wait for my signal." The voice was Zexion's until the illusionist raised his fingers to his throat, the touch turning his voice to something deeper and colder. "Until then, do not move from this spot."

Riku couldn't help but nod. He felt Namine's hand slide into his as Zexion strode off around the corner, his new booming voice carrying easily in the quiet hall. "You two, leave me. I wish to be alone."

One of the guards stuttered out a flustered respone. "B-but, My Lord Superior, our shift does not end for an hour yet. You ordered us to guard this room no matter the circumstances."

"You dare defy me? Right now I am telling you to leave this hall, so what order will you choose to obey?"

There was probably a silent debate between the guards, but fear must have won out because a second later they rushed by Riku and Namine's hiding place. Riku tensed, raising his arm in front of Namine to block her in case they were spotted but the guards walked right passed them without a second glance, despite the fact that one of the men's eyes grazed right over the both of them before he turned back to his fellow guard.

A few seconds after they disappeared from the hall, Riku let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Beside, him, Namine also gave a small sigh of relief, a shaky smile crossing her lips. "I thought for sure he had seen us."

"Unlikely." Riku looked up to see Zexion-turned-Superior towering over them. "I had shielded you from sight, which is why I told you not to move." He waved his hand, as if shooing something away, and his disguise fell about him like a stack of cards, the fragments of the larger skin disappearing before they hit the ground. "We have some time, but as you heard, less than an hour before the next shift appears."

Riku nodded. "I understand. We shouldn't need that much time though."

"We will if you don't know where to look."

"I can find him." Stepping out from the hiding place, Riku once again tried to focus in on the dark magic. Sora's aura really was easier to focus on though. Wait, there. The darkness was most concentrated the end of the hall through the double doors. The doors were massive, nearly stretching up to the ceiling, a decorative frame around it woven with more stone flowers and molded vines. Riku ran forward, his hand about to grasp the silver gilded handle when he paused.

Something about this just…seemed wrong. Something in the back of his mind was screaming that this wasn't where he needed to go even though the place passed those doors was the one most intense in dark energy. Curling his fingers away from the knob, he turned instead to the side where there was a smaller door. It was a much plainer design; there were no flowers and the handle was white instead of inlaid with silver.

Without hesitation, he pushed the smaller door open, his eyes widening when a black smoke poured out. He jumped back as the inky fog washed into the hall, turning to look for Namine just before his vision was obscured by the smoke pouring between them.

"Ignore it!" Zexion's voice carried through the rapidly darkening hallway. "It's only an after-affect of so much dark magic, it can't hurt you."

Hearing his words, Riku scowled and waved his hand through the fog in front of him. Zexion was right. It was colder than the rest of the air around him but it didn't hurt or seem to have any other side effects. As it was, it was enveloping his senses, the strength of its darkness shrouding his own abilities. This would explain why he couldn't sense Sora; this stuff was so thick it was nearly tangible. But it was harmless. Steeling himself, he took a breath than ran into the room.

The open door seemed to be airing the room out as slivers of the walls and floors began to become visible. Waving his hands to clear out the smoke as fast as he could, he tried to use his own elemental power to push back the other residue. It wasn't working all that well but he was able to push further into the room, taking it step by step as the space slowly cleared.

The first thing he saw was a foot clearing into view. It was like a blindfold slowly being lifted away as the rest of the figure came into view, curled up on the hard stone floor against the wall. Riku crouched down next to the person as he heard a rattle of what sounded like chains. What he didn't expect though was for a sudden fist to come out and catch the side of his face, sending him reeling back onto his bottom.

Rubbing his cheek, Riku scowled, grabbing the hand as it came to strike at him again. The delicate hand was familiar, but the violence meant that it could be only one person. "Roxas, it's alright. I'm not here to hurt you."

The black fog finally dispersed enough for their faces to be revealed to one another. As it did so, Roxas's blue eyes came into view than widened. A flash of relief swept through them before they suddenly narrowed and Roxas struck out again with his other hand. The movement sent a metallic clanking through the room, revealing that his writs were in manacles. "Where did you go?" he shouted. His face was pale and drawn, body visibly trembling probably from overexposure from the dark magic. "Because of your disappearance we were captured! And you took so long getting here," his voice trailed off as he shuddered. "I've almost forgotten what light looks like."

Frowning, Riku grabbed Roxas's arm, effectively silencing him. "Where's Sora?"

Roxas shook his head. "I don't know. As long as I've been here, I don't think anyone else has been with me. I tried to call out anyway, for the first few hours, but that got old very quickly. I don't even have any idea of where I am." Lifting his arms, he grimaced at the sight of his bound hands then over his shoulder at the chains tied to what was revealing itself to be an intricately carved armoire. "I didn't even know I was tied to a piece of furniture."

As Roxas turned back to look at Riku, his blue eyes widened as they passed over Riku's shoulder. Riku twisted around on his own accord before Roxas could say a word.

The black fog had cleared to reveal Sora's slumped-over form directly across from where Roxas had been placed. Namine was already crouched next to the older prince, the girl's face concerned as she touched the bloody stain which had dried on his tunic, the slice through the fabric. "He's only barely breathing, Riku."

Riku felt the blood rush from his face as he threw himself to the other side of the room. "Namine, untie Roxas." The order came out hoarser than he had expected as he pushed her away from Sora. Suddenly it was too much for her to be that close to him, if he really was in such a delicate state then she shouldn't touch him. His heart was in his throat as he kneeled over Sora's body, a trembling hand reaching to his face. He pushed his spiky brown bangs back from his pale skin. "Sora." His voice barely came out as a whisper as he leaned over the little light elemental, "Sora, wake up."

The sound of chains clanking echoed behind him as Riku reached up to work at Sora's shackles. He couldn't break through the metal, but he could untie the rope which had tied the chain to the foot of a high-backed chair. The room seemed to be a bedroom; it even included a luxurious bed covered in fine linens but the prince's had been but on the hard tile floor. That made Riku's blood boil.

Riku's fingers fumbled with the ropes for a few minutes before he worked through the knot. As soon as Sora was free from the chair, Riku pulled the prince into his arms. Sora was cold, abnormally so, his head lolling back against Riku's shoulder, body completely limp. "Shit. Sora! Wake up!"

There was a shuffle of movement and a moment later, Roxas had crawled over to them, his movement somewhat hindered by the fact that his wrists were still linked by about a foot of chain. His eyes were focused on his older brother though, face wracked with guilt and worry. "I, I had no idea he was in here with me! He never, he never made a single sound. They never even treated his wound, those bastards!"

Damn, that meant that even during his dream, Sora must have been unconscious. Frowning, Riku unbuckled Sora's belt then rolled up his tunic. The sword wound he himself had inflicted was indeed still there, the red gash still appearing raw in his side. "Why isn't it healing faster?"

Namine cut in at this point, startling Riku as she set her hand on his shoulder. "Sprits heal at a slow pace if they have nothing to aid them. It is why we invented Cure spells and health potions. He needs to see a healer."

Riku looked up at Roxas. Sora's body was so heavy in his arms. "Do you know Curaga?"

Roxas shook his head, eyes still wide. "I haven't learned it yet, my lessons never progressed that far. I know Cura but I'm completely drained right now, I feel like I don't have a drop of magic in me after being stuck in here for so long. We need to find my mother."

With a curt nod, Riku leaned down and wrapped his arms underneath the smaller boy's knees and torso then pulled him up into his arms. Sora's brown spikes tickled the side of his face as Riku's fingers tightened around him. He resisted his strange urge to bury his nose into that hair; now was not the time and he could not be that desperate. Riku was somewhat reassured though by the fact that at least when holding him like this, he could feel Sora's feeble but present heartbeat underneath his hand. "Where would they keep her?"

Roxas shook his head. "I don't know."

From his post keeping watch by the door, Zexion spoke up. "It's likely the Superior put the princes here in order to mask their light auras, especially since he now knows for certain that you have returned to this world. There would be no reason to keep Her Majesty in any special location, so there is a good chance she was put in the dungeons with the others-"

Roxas stood up, blue eyes blazing as his manacles clanked from the movement. "Xemnas wouldn't dare!"

"Not to sound contrary, Prince Roxas, but he put you and the Crown Prince in chains. If the Superior has shown no chivalry toward you, I doubt he will humor hospitality with your mother."

Roxas' face darkened before his eyes flashed to his unconscious brother in Riku's arms. The sight was apparently enough to douse his indignant rage with anxiousness. "We're going to the dungeons then."

"Allow me to lead the way," Zexion murmured. "I can get us through unseen."

Roxas nodded. "Very well, lead the way."

Zexion did as he was told. Because he was carrying Sora, Riku took the back of the group. As worried as he was about Sora, he couldn't help but be relieved to have him back in his arms. Man, it was a good thing that he had called it off with Kairi. If he was already this way after having been separated for only a few hours, then he was in way too deep. Hell, the fact that he was willing to carry Sora right now showed more devotion than he had ever felt toward anyone.

This didn't mean of course that Sora wasn't heavy. On the contrary, the little prince was surprisingly heavy, which made sense since Riku was carrying all of his body in his arms. He was strong, but he could easily admit that he probably wasn't that strong. Especially when trying to climb down stairs with a limp body weighing him down. He had only been able to do that by leaning heavily against the wall.

The walk down to the dungeon was slow and tense. It was hard to be quiet when Roxas and Sora were still wearing chains. Every few minutes a group of servants or guards or Heartless would pass them and Zexion would motion for them all to get against the wall to cast a concealment illusion. After the first few times that happened, they all had pretty much gotten the pattern down. Silently panic, throw yourself to the wall, and pray they don't look in your direction too closely.

As they descended further into the palace however, the crowds grew thinner and thinner, the population changing completely to guards and Heartless. There were also less windows and less finery, the white stone becoming a dirty gray and black. It was as if they had carved the lower floors out of the earth itself.

Finally, they came to a long hallway. It was wide enough to fit three men side-by-side, probably built for two guards dragging a prisoner down to the dungeons. There were no nooks or crevices for anyone to hide and a large metal door loomed at the end of the hall, the large rivets and cross beams across its width enhancing its appearance of strength and impenetrability.

They had almost reached the door when it swung open. Two guards strutted out, their swords swinging casually at their hips as Zexion ushered everyone to one side. As Riku pressed against the wall, he held his breath as the soldiers came by. Holding Sora, he was jutting out too far into the hall, the guard on their side looked as if he was going to crash into his elbows. Beside him, Namine saw the predicament coming and glanced up at him with worry in her eyes. Roxas apparently noticed the problem as well, and just as the guards passed by, he pushed passed Namine and grabbed Riku's shoulder, pushing him to his knees. Riku fell with a thud that made Zexion's brow furrow, the noise catching the attention of the guards just as the closer one's elbow grazed over Riku's head.

"Did you hear anything?" He asked his partner.

The other man shook his head. "Who knows anymore? My nerves are shot. I still can't imagine how long the Superior wants to keep them; killing them would be so much simpler."

"It's no good to question him. Besides, some prisoners are better left alive then killed, that's the royal family we're talking about."

"I wouldn't want them killed, all I'm saying is that it would be easier to have them killed. Besides, keeping them alive for eternity would be crueler than death in my view…"

Their voices trailed off as they continued to walk down the hall. Riku only let out a sigh of relief once he heard the door to the stairs open and close, tottering up to his feet with a glare to Roxas. "A little warning would be nice next time. I almost dropped Sora."

"I was trying to be silent, unlike your little outburst. And who said you could be so familiar with him to forgo his title?"

"I said so. Besides, he doesn't care."

Roxas's glared, his expression softening somewhat as his eyes drifted down to Sora's pale face. "You're right, he doesn't. But he should."

Up ahead, Zexion started walking toward the prison door again. "Come. We're wasting time and we're almost there. If those guards had just finished their shift, then we have a few seconds to get inside. Once we're inside the dungeon we can bar the door, but we'll need to think of a way to fight the guards off once we get trapped inside. Our only hope is that the others are down there and can be roused into some sort of fighting shape."

"You're always so optimistic, Zexion, that's what I like the best about you," Riku muttered sarcastically. Zexion only snorted and Riku adjusted his hold on Sora. Just a few more steps then hopefully they could find Aerith and get Sora back onto his feet again.

The door creaked with rust as Zexion tugged it open. The thing was so heavy that in the end, Roxas also had to lend a hand, the both of them together managing to drag it open after a few grueling seconds. Cold air immediately rushed out of the doorway, the smell stale and tinged with decay.

Riku wrinkled his nose as he stepped inside, feeling slightly sympathetic toward Namine and Zexion who both apparently had been gifted with stronger senses of smell and were now covering their noses with their sleeves. The light from the previous hall lit only a few feet into the dungeon proper, revealing rough cobble-stoned floors, muddy water stagnant between their cracks. The rest of the dungeon was lit with sparsely placed torches which were burning an oily fire, the dark smoke from the dirty burning having long-ago stained the surrounding walls a dark coal-grey. Rows of iron cages lined the sides of the hall, their bars buried deep into the stone floor and ceiling for added strength. The cells at least appeared to have a layer of hay spread out, perhaps making clean up easier for the keeper of the dungeons but also hopefully making the stay a little more comfortable for those inside.

There was a rustling from the first cell to the right, the light from the outside hall revealing Aerith as she came to the front of her cell. Roxas cried out in shock and thinly-veiled horror and ran up to her, taking her hand through the iron bars. "Mother, they really did lock you down here?!"

"I am fine, Roxas. They have injured nothing more than my pride."

Not caring if he cut the touching reunion short or not, Riku strode forward. "Aerith, Sora's still hurt, you need to heal him."

Aerith's eyes widened as her eyes fell onto her other son, hands flying to her chest. "Oh my goodness! Quickly, bring him closer. Is there anyway to bring him into my cell? The door is locked, but the guards which just left should have the key."

Riku scowled. Damn. He should have snatched the keys when that guard was passing just inches from him; it would have been the perfect opportunity. Before he had long to wallow in self-pity though, Roxas nudged him in the side. "Move over. I'll take care of this."

Riku did as he was told, moving to the side as Roxas closed his eyes and lifted his hands. A moment later, the Keyblade flickered into existence in his grip, the weapon nearly glowing as air rushed around Roxas's feet in a circle. Riku took a step back in shock as Roxas lined up with the locked cell door and a beam of light shot out from the tip of the Keyblade to the lock. An audible click echoed through the dungeon and the door slowly swung wide open.

"There." Roxas murmured. As the light died around him he tottered back a step, suddenly a little unsteady on his feet. "It's open."

Riku immediately rushed Sora inside. The cell contained a rickety wooden bench and Aerith motioned for him to set Sora down onto it. When he had done so, she leaned over her son's still body, hovering her hands over his wound. "It is deep, but I do not sense any terrible infections yet. There may be a scar, but it should heal with a few spells." Her attention turned momentarily to the rest of the group. "Try to help the others while I am healing him. I need to know how much of my energy I can use on him and how much I will need to conserve to help the others. I have been worried about Cloud and Leon especially since they have gotten so quiet. Could you check on them first?"

She pointed to the cell diagonally across from her own. Reluctant to leave Sora's side, Riku nonetheless followed Roxas out of Aerith's cell to peer into the one across the thin walkway.

It was deeply shadowed, and at first there appeared to be nothing but a large pile of hay. Wrapping his hands around the bars, Riku leaned in closer, his eyes scanning the area and adjusting to the limited light. Next to him, Roxas had again summoned his Keyblade, sweat collecting on the young royal's forehead as he again magically unlocked the door.

It wasn't until they were inside the cell that Riku realized that the piles of hay was actually a large body, the sloping back of a lion. With every step he took toward it, more patches of blood caught his eye. Tentatively, he crouched down and put his hand on the great animal's shoulder. Standing over him, Roxas asked warily, "Is he still breathing?"

"Y-Yeah. Roxas, go next door. Cloud's probably there."

Roxas took off at a run and Riku leaned over the lion's massive form to get a look at his face. His eyes were closed, nostrils flaring every few seconds with shallow and rapid breaths. The only restraint he had was a thick metal collar, the chain connected and embedded straight into the wall. There were a few deep gouges in the rock around the chain; evidence that Leon had at least clawed at his restraints before giving up.

Swallowing, Riku shook the lion's shoulder; he had no idea how to approach such a large creature. "Leon. Hey, Leon, can you hear me?" He got a small twitch in response, the lion's brows furrowing somewhat. Taking this as a positive, Riku reached down to touch the lion's nose. "Leon?"

Apparently it was the wrong move to make. As soon as his finger tips touched the great cat's whiskers, storm grey eyes snapped open and Riku felt a large paw catch him in the back of his head, throwing him to the ground under a roar of fury. Trapped, Riku could only throw his arms up to protect himself as the lion bared its teeth. "Leon! Hey, stop, we're here to save you, you idiot!"

The lion's snarl slowly receded, his face relaxing as he tottered to the side before dropping back to the ground, releasing a shuddering breath and with it all of his pent up strength. Riku blinked then slowly sat up, fingers absently reaching up to comb out the bits of straw which had gotten into his hair. Had that been Leon's last-ditch attempt to put up a fight? Rolling up onto his knees, but now fully aware of where all of the clawed paws were, Riku laid his hand on the lion's broad forearm. He really couldn't tell how injured the other was with the thick layers of fur and mane. "Hey, Leon, pull yourself together. Can you stand up?"

The lion blinked then snorted, feet slowly moving underneath his body. The muscles visibly strained as he tried to push himself up onto his feet. Riku wanted to help but, honestly, he couldn't do much to help support a body that most likely weighed over four-hundred pounds. Through sheer force of will, because he didn't look like he had an ounce of energy left, Leon managed to get to his feet but one step forward sent him back to the ground.

Grimacing, Riku reached down and ran his hands through the lion's thick mane. "Shit. Alright, don't hurt yourself more by trying. I'll go get Aerith."

"Ah, Cloud, wait!"

The cry came just before Riku was pushed to the side by a large wolf's muzzle and a snarl. Catching the message to back off, Riku retreated back to the cell door as Roxas ran up next to him, the small blond panting. "I-Idiot. He, he broke right through his chain. He just doesn't know when to quit!"

Riku smirked, shaking his head as he watched the wolf's ears fall back when the dog nudged his muzzle under the lion's chin. The great cat rumbled out a frail growl, brushed tail weakly slapping the hay-lined floor as the wolf began to lap at a bloodied patch on his neck.

"Don't forget, Cloud, you're hurt too!"

Rolling his eyes at the lack of response to Roxas's warning, Riku clapped his hand on Roxas's slim shoulder. "Can you handle to open two more doors? We still have to find Axel and Demyx."

Roxas's face paled before his mouth set into a firm line. "I'm fine." His hand clenched into a fist. "Let's just find them and get out of here."

Together they looked into the last few iron bar cells but found them to be definitely empty. There wasn't a hint that anyone had been thrown into them in the last few years not to mention a few days ago. And beyond those cages was nothing but a wall of metal panels. At the last iron-bar cell, Riku banged his fist against the metal. "What the hell are we supposed to do if they aren't here?!"

Roxas shook his head but said nothing. If the others were being held somewhere else then they were in a very bad situation.

"Well of course they wouldn't be kept in normal cages," both looked up to see Zexion walking up to them. "Spirits with elemental powers need to be kept isolated from their power source in order to be properly contained. The only problem of course is that once they have been isolated from their element, their ability to survive decreases dramatically." He continued passed them, toward the wall of metal.

Stopping in front of one of the panels, Zexion pressed his ear against it then nodded to himself before he pressed his finger tip to the panel. Much to Riku's amazement, a black shape appeared upon it, concentric circles radiating out with strange writing along the rings. Zexion's eyes narrowed, his finger tips brushing along the metallic surface as they spun the circles around by touch. "The Superior employs a magical seal with these doors. Unlike normal locks, they cannot be unlocked by magic alone. One needs to set them in the proper alignment before it opens. Fortunately, I have been entrusted with most of the palace codes, and this one should not be so hard to deduce."

As if on cue, the next spin caused the seal to glow brighter, a click echoing through the room before the panel suddenly slid open to reveal a tiny room, the walls sealed completely by smooth, dull metal. Riku's immediate sensation was extreme cold as the stale air poured out, and when he stepped inside, his eyes settled on a figure huddled in the corner, arms wrapped around a lanky frame. It was Axel.

The next second, Roxas rushed passed him, dropping to his knees in front of his Guardian as he frantically lifted the other's head up. Axel's face was death-white, the tattoos nearly lifted from his skin by the contrast as Roxas called out. "Axel! Hey, Axel!" The chains around his wrists clanked as he raised his hands and firmly slapped Axel across the face. "Wake up!"

His voice had cracked with desperation but the contact had caused Axel to blink his eyes open, gaze glassy and unfocused as a fierce shiver shot through his body. "R-Rox…"

"He needs heat. Get him warm, Your Highness. Riku, come with me to the last cell."

Riku nodded absently, watching as Roxas frantically grabbed Axel's hands to warm them in his own. Roxas looked as if he was about to cry. Then it clicked; Roxas had already lost one Guardian. The threat of another one dying undoubtedly terrified him.

It took Zexion less than half the time to open the second high-security cell. The air was as cold as before, and just as stale. Demyx was lying in the middle of the floor; the chill apparently not the problem this time though he too was unconscious. Getting down to business, Zexion rolled up his cloak up to his elbows then crouched down, wrapping his hands under the water god's arms. His sharp blue gaze shot up to Riku. "Well? He's too big for me to move on my own. We need to get him out into the dungeon proper where there is at least some moisture."

Nodding, Riku grabbed Demyx's feet, the two of them carrying him out. At Zexion's command, they set him down onto the cobble stones. Riku could only watch as the disgustingly muddy water began to flow toward where he was laying. In a rush of movement, Zexion left for a few seconds to come back a moment later with a pitcher of water. "Her Majesty was at least given some water," he murmured, "Though even the quality of this is somewhat suspect, it will be better than the bile he's attempting to absorb. Lift him up."

Riku did, grimacing with disgust to find the water god's back already wet with the collected muck underneath him. The smell of it all was enough to make him gag. Zexion however, despite his superior smell, ignored the stench and placed the pitcher to the god's lips. At first, little of the liquid actually made it in, spilling down Demyx's front but a moment later, the body in Riku's arms shuddered and came to life as Demyx broke into a series of dry coughs.

Gasping like a fish out of water, Demyx blindly grabbed for the pitcher in Zexion's hands, his movements almost automatic as he began to swallow great gulps of the water. It wasn't until the pitcher was bone dry that Demyx pushed it back into Zexion's hands, still panting as he reached up with trembling fingers to wipe the remaining drops of water from his chin, the bit of water quickly soaking into his skin like a sponge. "I need…more water…" his voice was raspy and cracked.

Zexion nodded. "Understandable, being a god requires constant contact with your given element. But at the moment your request is impossible. Are you strong enough to stand on your own?"

Demyx let out a small whimper as Zexion grabbed his arm then shook his head, his expression a mixture of fear and fatigue. "I don't know if I can…"

Zexion sighed with exasperation then whipped out a piece of paper from his cloak and in one swift movement sliced a thin cut down his arm. As it began to bleed, he crouched down in front of Demyx. "Here. This is the only other liquid you're going to get, leech as much water as you need from it. Do your best not to kill me from blood loss though."

Demyx stared down horrified at the blood for a few seconds, then shook his head violently. "No!" He pushed Zexion's arm away, "No, no, no. I can't do that! Just, bind that and help me stand. I'll get water any other way, but not like that!"

Zexion frowned but ripped off a piece of his sleeve, winding it around the wound. Just as he was tying it in place, Riku felt a pulse of energy against his back; the feel of Sora's light! Immediately leaving Zexion and Demyx, Riku ran back to Aerith's cell.

When he reached it, he saw Sora with his head on his mother's lap, sky-blue eyes blinking blearily as his mother finished a final Curaga spell on his wound. Namine was leaning over the sword wound itself, her slim fingers giving one last tug on a bandage which looked as if it had come from the bottom hem of Aerith's skirt. Feeling breathless with relief, Riku took a shaky step into the cell as his and Sora's eyes met. Thank God, he was really okay.

Sora's lips turned upward in a small smile, his hand reaching out toward Riku. "I…knew you'd come to get us…!"

Riku shook his head, kneeling beside Sora as he took the outstretched hand into his own.
"You are far too trusting."

Sora chuckled, though it broke halfway-through with a pained grimace. "Ah, ow…Don't make me laugh, Riku. Of course I knew you'd come, you told me you would when we talked. You'll have to tell me how you got back to our world."

Riku blinked. So, that really had been Sora in his dream. "Guess I will." He paused for a moment then looked up to Aerith. "Cloud and Leon are pretty banged up, Leon especially. I think he might have a hurt leg or something because he can't even stand up."

Aerith frowned then nodded, gently setting Sora's head back onto the wooden bench as she stood up. "I will go see to them then."

As she left, Riku scooted forward. He was half-ashamed, feeling like a pet worried for its master, but at the same time, he really couldn't bring himself to care all that much. All that mattered was that his sword blow hadn't killed the prince after all, and that Sora was on a strong road to recovery.

His eyes must have rested too long on the bandaged wound because Sora tugged on his hand, refocusing his attention. "I don't blame you at all, you know."

"I know. You should though."

Sora shook his head. "It wasn't your fault." Suddenly his eyes brightened a little and Riku felt a warm wave wash over him. "Xehanort's Heartless isn't so strong anymore, that's really good! What happened?"

"I'll tell you later." Riku didn't want to mention his father just yet. He didn't want to remind Sora as to why he should hate him. In fact right now, he was really fighting the urge to just lean down and kiss the prince. "As for right now, do you think you can sit up? We're planning on moving as soon as possible."

Sora looked up at him then tentatively lifted himself up off of the bench. A wince flickered across his features and Riku moved in, placing a hand on Sora's back to help him up. "I think…I think I can manage." Sora murmured. "For a while anyway."

"That's good enough. If worse comes to worse I'll just carry you again."

Sora flushed but before he could comment, his eyes focused on something behind Riku which caught his attention. "Is he okay?!"

Riku turned to see Roxas supporting a weak-looking Axel, the fiery red-head's face still far too pale. He did manage a half-hearted smirk. "I'm dandy, kid. Now lift your hands so I can get through those chains. I already got everyone else."

Sora blinked then dutifully lifted his wrists, his surprised expression showing that he had barely been aware that he had been put in manacles in the first place. Gently shaking Roxas off, Axel crouched down in front of Sora. He took hold of the chain in one hand and pointed at it with the other. A burst of fire shot out from his fingertip, small but fiercely hot. "Alright, hold still or I'll get your skin."

Sora was as still as a statue as Axel cut through the manacles with his flame. After the iron cuffs fell away, Riku made sure to subtly check for any burning as Sora rubbed his wrist. When he saw only a bit of pink, he turned his gaze to Axel who had sat down on the floor for a breather. "Doing okay?"

"Actually I feel like crap, thanks for asking. When we're out of here I'm going to go lie in a bonfire or something, I'm so damn cold. For now though, I've got a little prince for a heater." Roxas flushed a deep red as Axel wrapped an arm around his waist, his lanky Guardian hugging his legs.

Sora laughed lightly at the sight then winced again and gripped his side. "Oh, I forgot, no laughing!"

Riku glanced over at Axel. "Sorry, you'll have to leave, your stupidity is too funny."

Axel sneered. "Yeah, you're laughing now. But just wait until I'm on my feet again. I have a few choice words for you after that disappearing act you pulled back at the tree house."

Riku shrugged. He figured he deserved a little retribution for that. It might as well come from Axel. "Whatever."

"If you've finished your immature banter, it's time to go."

The four of them looked up to see a battered and bruised Leon wavering in the doorway. He looked as if he had one foot in the grave already but his expression was as controlled as ever. Cloud was a few feet beside him, also bruised but less so. It looked as if he was giving Leon just enough space to make it appear as if he was allowing the lion to walk on his own, while still being close enough to catch him if Leon decided to keel over. Leon didn't appear to be fooled however, which only darkened his mood further. "Well?"

"We're ready!" Sora chirped, letting Riku help him to stand.

Axel shakily got to his feet as well. "Yeah, let's get out of here."

Namine was closest to the exit of the dungeon, her and Aerith in the lead. She and Aerith managed to pull open the heavy door but as it swung open, Riku felt his heart fly to his throat.

Saix was standing in the middle of the long hall, backed by a dozen or so armed soldiers. When he locked eyes with them, the blue-haired wolf spirit gave them a lazy smirk. "So the Superior was right. Leaving the prisoners alive meant capturing the few remaining rebels. Come with me, he wishes to speak with you now that you are all here."


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