I know it's been a while, and I know this chapter is pretty short. Hopefully I'll be able to wrap up this story soon. Please forgive me for being a lazy bum!

Sora stared anxiously at Riku's still form and tried to avoid making eye contact with either Kairi or Lea. Even though it was ridiculous, he couldn't shake the feeling that if he looked away from Riku his friend would simply disappear. He was so pale already, shockingly so compared to the usual tanned hue that he had developed from living on an island for so many years. It was like he was fading into nothing right before their eyes.

After the sudden occurrence in Riku's room, Kairi had helped Sora carry their unconscious friend to the infirmary. They had run into Lea in the hallway, who had been drawn by the loud noises. Riku's limp form and their panicked looks had forestalled any questions he may have asked at that time. He simply observed the situation before scooping Riku into his arms and carrying him the rest of the way, making it to the infirmary much faster than Sora and Kairi would have been able to. It had almost made him laugh, seeing Riku carried bridal style and imagining the string of swearing and complaints he would have been spouting if he were conscious. However, he knew that this was serious, and that Riku was in trouble. It wasn't a good time to laugh about stupid things like that.

He still couldn't believe how quickly things had changed after he had left Riku's room. Hadn't they just been laughing and cracking jokes? Hadn't Riku been happier when he left? What had happened to make everything go wrong so fast?

A loud, sudden clap caused Sora to jump out of his chair in surprise. He and Kairi both stared incredulously at Lea, who looked decidedly unapologetic. "Alright, enough moping. Sitting around and doing nothing isn't going to help Riku."

Sora knew these remarks were directed towards him, and he couldn't help but throw an indignant glare at the older man. "Like you're any better! It's not like you're doing anything, either!"

"Sora, calm down," Kairi asked gently. She knew that he didn't mean to be so worked up about everything and that he was just blaming himself for this whole mess, but they wouldn't get anywhere if they started arguing amongst themselves. Riku was suffering and, if she forced herself to admit it, possibly dying. They needed to work together and figure out their next move. "I agree with Lea. We need to think about where we go from here. Do either of you have any ideas?"

A silence fell over the group as they struggled to come up with any solutions. It was hard to know what to do when they barely understood the situation. While they were glad that Riku had finally told them about what was happening and that he was opening up enough to accept some help from others, it would have been nice to have a bit more information. Riku's admittance, while appreciated, was vague at best. They would need to piece together what they could before making any definite decisions.

Kairi nodded to herself and shared her conclusion with the others. "I think what we need to do is try to figure out some of the things Riku didn't tell us. We should look over his room again to see if we can find anything that can help."

Sora grunted in agreement to her plan, keeping his eyes trained on Riku as if he could help him get better by sheer force of will. This situation was hard on all of them, but it had affected Sora the most. Kairi knew that Riku and Sora had been inseparable even before she had arrived on Destiny Island. After Riku's betrayal and fall to darkness, Sora had still been there for him and had become the light to his shadow. They had fought and laughed together for so long, and now Riku was in a situation that Sora could do little to help. He was probably either frantically trying to sort through ideas, each more ridiculous than the last, or he was unable to think of anything at all except the fact that he couldn't help his best friend when he needed him.

She knew that he needed time to get back to his usually self, but right now there wasn't any time to wait for him. They needed to help Riku now. What were other things they could do?

"I think we should tell Master Yen Sid."

That got Sora's full attention. "What?!" He turned quickly to face Lea, but Kairi noticed him slightly shift closer to Riku as he raged. "You heard Riku. He said he didn't want us to!"

Lea held up his hands in a placating gesture, trying to calm Sora down. "I know he did, and we agreed because we weren't quite sure of what was going on. I know we still don't know much, but we really need to get Riku some help. We can't wait anymore."

Sora continued glaring at the older man, clearly disagreeing with his idea. Loyal to a fault, Kairi thought fondly as she watched her friend silently fight for Riku's wishes. That had always been something she had liked about Sora. You could always count on him to have your back, even if you weren't able to defend yourself. However, despite her love of Sora's character, she had to agree with Lea. "Sora, I know this is hard on you, but we have to do something."

Sora glanced at her with a shocked look. He must have expected her to back him up. She was sorry to disappoint, but right now there were things more important than Sora's feelings being hurt. Before she could try to explain herself, he turned his back on both her and Lea, moving closer to Riku. "Fine. Do whatever you want, but I'm staying here."

Lea seemed ready to protest, but Kairi stopped him with a look. If Sora had decided to do something, it was almost impossible to convince him not to. She and Lea left quietly to follow up on their respective plans, leaving Sora to stay by Riku. If he was going to be stubborn, at least they could still find something that could help. They needed to do something before it was too late.