A.N. Ok, I confess, I bit off more than I could chew with "Uncharted waters."

*Jade's creative streak: U mad?
*Jade: Shut up!

...So I have instead opted to simply continue the plot of "Bait," using some themes from the scrapped sequel, but I think there may be a completely different plot in play ultimately. I can sense a "Vengeance quest" on the horizon for Sora, and some inner conflict between Riku and Repliku. No guarantees, all I will say is, chapter 20 has been rewritten entirely to accommodate this new plot. So, I hope beyond hope that you all enjoy this new extension of "Bait"
~Jade

Bait, Chapter 20.

The aftermath of his ordeal had left Riku bedridden for 10 days, and he had never been happier to be told to get up and move around at the end of it. Nonetheless, he had to rely on one of his companions to help him do so. Though the replica had done a satisfactory job of healing him after the incident in Organization 13's dungeon, the injuries he had sustained made walking a painful experience-his right leg had buckled under his own weight after taking those first few steps.

Riku would have been lying if he said the symptom didn't frighten him, as it had. He was almost certain he had sustained irreprible damage and would no longer be able to fight. He had only just earned the title of Keyblade master, and to have to give that up was an unbearable concept.

It was that fear that had Sora summon Yen Sid in a panic. He had been the one supporting Riku as the two of them headed to breakfast one morning, but the sheer difference in their height had done little to ease the pain in Riku's leg. They were only about halfway there when his leg gave out again, leaving Riku curled up on the floor clutching at the injury, eyes watering in pain.

"Riku! What happened? Are you in pain?" An alarmed Sora exclaimed.

"Stop...panicking...Go find...Yen Sid..." Riku said through gritted teeth.

The old wizard arrived with a self-conscious looking Sora at his heels. Before Riku had a chance to protest, he lifted and carried him to a nearby room as though holding an infant, gently lowering him into a chair.

"It'll be nice to have my dignity back when this is all over!" Riku exclaimed sourly, though Yen Sid could detect the quiver of fear in his voice.

Yen Sid gently rolled Riku's pant leg up, uncovering the ugly purple bruise that covered most of his lower leg. He gently but firmly ran his fingers over the entire area of the injury, feeling for any irregularities. Both Sora and Riku looked intently at the old man, praying for good news.

"You have nothing to fear." Yen Sid said, giving a sympathetic look to both of them. Riku let out an audible sigh of relief. "The injury is severe but not debilitating. Your leg is just badly bruised and probably atrophied from lack of use. Getting yourself back in shape should set it right again."

"How am I supposed to do that? I can't even walk on my own, the pain is so bad..." Riku began, but Yen Sid stopped him.

"I haven't been blind to your suffering, Riku." He began, drawing a small jar from his robes. "I had actually spent the past few days preparing this special medicine for you..." Opening the jar, they noticed it contained a pale salve that smelled faintly of mint. Yen Sid applied a thin layer of it directly to Riku's leg, and Riku was pleased to find that the stuff worked pretty quickly: he could feel the pain lessening the moment it made contact with his skin.

"Here..." Yen Sid placed the jar in Riku's hands. "You can use that whenever the pain becomes too much to bear. It should numb it long enough for you to try moving around by yourself."

"Riku, is it ok if I ask you something?" The two of them were headed back to the room by the courtyard later that day. Riku still walked with a pronounced limp, but no longer needed someone to support him.

"What is it?"

"Well, I was wondering- what happened that made your leg get injured like that anyway?"

The older boy froze, horrible memories chasing themselves around his head. He knew exactly what had happened, as well as what it had led to. He prayed Sora wouldn't press him for more information than he was willing to reveal.

"I tried to escape. Xigbar caught me, and broke my leg so I wouldn't try it again."

"But your leg wasn't broken when we found you!" Sora exclaimed, a confused look on his face.

"That's because my Replica healed it... or at least tried to."

"Was that the day you met your Replica?"

"I'm not sure... I can't really remember much before the...incident."

"Incident?"

"I-I I'm not ready to talk about that!" Riku walked at a faster pace, his body rigid.

"Riku!"

"Don't push it!"

Sora had to run to catch up with him, placing himself directly in his path.

"Riku, I know what happened! Need I remind you that I was one of the people who cared for you after we saved you! I've seen the full extent of you injuries!"

Riku froze. "It's not like you to make that kind of connection."

"Maybe not, but Mickey and Yen Sid were there too, and both of them were wise enough to put the pieces together. Riku, I know someone took advantage of you in that dungeon, and I think it would be best if you didn't have to shoulder that burden alone!"

End of Chapter 20