Disclaimer: not mine

Last of the quick updates since I'm out of pre-written.

Chapter 7

Kairi hung up, closing her eyes in relief, sinking down on the steps. Hearing that Sora was completely amnesiac had been a horrific shock. But to know that things could feel familiar gave her hope.

"Kairi? Is Riku alright?" Ventus asked as he ran over

She smiled shakily at him. "He reached Sora again."

"That's great!"

"He…he doesn't remember us Ven, nothing. Even his speech is different, he's younger because time is moving differently there. He…he doesn't know us," she tried to smother a sob, and then Ventus was there, holding her close.

"Shh, it's okay Kairi, we're here for you," he promised.

"He let Riku hug him Ven, he wants to remember. What have they done to him?"

"It'll be alright. You know Riku will rip the Darkness itself apart to protect both of you. He will find Sora and if anyone hurt him, he will do whatever it takes to keep him safe and bring him home."

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"Are you alright Lieutenant?" Sora asked as he saw her standing at a different console to the one she usually worked from, her back stiff.

"I'm fine Sora, I thought you were working with Seven?"

"She does not currently require my assistance. It is a simple matter of downloading the data and sorting it, the computer can do most of it."

"Very well, continue your normal duties."

"Yes ma'am," he began to move away.

"Sora?" she called, and he turned back.

"Yes Lieutenant?"

"What do you think of all of this?" she asked.

"It lacks any emotional resonance for me. I have no knowledge of Earth, I have only one memory of anything that could be considered home, and that is an island that is definitely not on Earth."

"You realise you could still have family there even if you personally have never been?"

"That had occurred to me," he admitted, despite that he was beginning to believe it very unlikely.

"There might be more emotional resonance than you think," she warned.

He studied her and thought he had worked out the problem. "You received bad news?"

"The Maquis…are all but gone. My friends…"

"I am sorry," he told her and he meant it. If he found the crew of Voyager were killed, he did not know how he would deal with it, then again his implants would keep the stronger emotions at bay.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Sora slumped against the console, he needed to spend at least several hours Regenerating. That had been difficult, even with Harry and B'Elanna helping. They had almost ended up pulled into the singularity along with the Hirogen but in the end they had successfully transported Seven and Tuvok back to Voyager and destroyed all of the Hirogen ships.

From what the Collective knew of the species though, he did not believe that was the end of things. The Hirogen were hunters and Voyager would make good prey with species they had never seen before aboard. And because of them, the Hirogen had lost access to the relays as well since all of them had been disabled because of their actions. Which meant no more communication with Starfleet.

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The Doctor looked up as Sora entered Sickbay. "Right on time," he nodded, indicating the biobed.

Sora got on and lay down for the examination.

"How have you been feeling? Any problems?"

"None."

"And your memories?"

"A few flashes, I think of other children on the Island. Is it strange that I have not seen any adults?"

"Well, the adults could be working elsewhere while you play. The Island is rather small correct?" he asked and Sora nodded. "Perhaps it is used as something like a day-care to ensure the children are safe in one place while the adults work. You were still young when assimilated, maybe time with other children is the way your mind is dealing with your assimilation and now integration into the crew where you are the youngest by several years. Naomi does not count as she is most definitely still a child."

"I see…thank you Doctor."

"No trouble. Everything looks good medically. Your immune system is working again and so far is not trying to reject the remaining implants. We will need to keep a close watch on that, especially if you haven't finished growing yet."

"I could grow more?"

"It is possible, even if the young man you have seen is correct about your age. Theoretically, you could be anywhere between sixteen and twenty one. The younger you are the more chance of further growth. Human males can continue to grow until age twenty one, sometimes in extreme cases even twenty five. Although, it is also possible the Borg alterations will have stopped that. Don't worry, you are within the acceptable height range for an adult human male."

"Even if I am shorter than most of the male human crew?"

"That may simply be genetics," he pointed out.

"Understood," he sighed.

"All of the genetic tests have come back," the Doctor informed him as he sat up. "As far as my equipment can determine, you are as human as any third generation colony child. So you were unlikely to have been born on Earth or in the Solar System. I am sure you are aware that ecological and biological exposure on other worlds can alter colonists over time at a genetic level."

Sora nodded. It was good to have an idea that he was human, or close enough as to not matter.

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Seven nearly bumped into Sora as she entered the cargo bay.

"Is everything alright?" he asked in concern. "Did you not have a meeting with the Doctor?"

"I terminated the lesson," she said, walking further in, but then she turned to face him. "How is it that you can put the crew at ease when interacting with them?" she asked.

He stared at her. "I…do not understand."

"Your interactions with the crew are far different to my own," she told him and he nodded.

"True," he agreed. "I am often unsure how to interact, but I find that doing so in a way very different to a drone is a start. Watching the crew and learning from them has helped."

"I see…thank you," she told him, and he nodded before heading for his shift in engineering.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Sora sat on the floor before the window in his quarters, just staring out at the passing stars. He didn't feel able to Regenerate. Tonight, he could not push the memories aside and so he avoided everyone. Every species on board had had members assimilated at some point and he kept seeing them overlayed with Borg implants. He pressed his hands to his eyes, trying to get rid of the images. He didn't want to see!

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Seven checked the display and frowned. "Seven to Lieutenant Paris."

It was probably nothing, but it was very unlike Sora to be late for Regeneration. She had attempted to call Sora directly but had received no answer.

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Tom sighed at Seven calling him and B'Elanna smirked. They didn't get a lot of time together off duty but it seemed duty, or at least one very bossy ex-Borg was calling. "Paris here," he answered.

"Is Sora still with you? He isn't answering his combadge and is late which is unlike him."

Okay, that got his attention, B'Elanna's too as she straightened up. "He never showed up for his lesson, I thought his shift ran late," he looked at her, but she shook her head. He'd been putting Sora through the Academy lessons on Advanced Subspace Geometry and was even looking at seeing how he was at piloting the shuttles at least.

"He left engineering on time," she told them, knowing Seven would hear her.

"Computer, locate Mr Sora," Tom ordered, getting up.

"Mr Sora is in his quarters."

"Paris to Sora. Sora please respond." He waited but there was no reply. "I'm going to go check on him." He had the medical overrides if needed to gain access to crew quarters. He'd only call the Doctor if necessary. "Sorry," he told B'Elanna.

"Go, make sure he's alright."

Tom nodded and left, heading to the deck where Sora's quarters were located. He pressed the panel to announce his presence but there was no response. "Sora, it's Tom, I just need to see that you're okay," he said. He waited but still nothing. "Computer, medical override Alpha 5-6-3-8," he commanded, and the doors slid open obediently.

He stepped inside to find the lights were off but he saw a shadow outlined in the dim light from the window. "Computer, lights low," he ordered and they came up to a low level. The shadow was revealed to be Sora, curled up in front of a chair. He moved towards him slowly. "Sora?" he called but he didn't respond.

Tom approached cautiously, Sora had been doing very well but Seven had had occasions where she'd reacted more like the drone she'd been than the individual she now was when startled. "Hey there kid," he murmured, kneeling down. He grimaced as he saw Sora had his hands pressed far too firmly to his eyes. "Come on Sora, look at me." That finally got a reaction.

"Can...n…t" the closest to a contraction he'd heard from Sora, and it was hardly how he would have wished to do so.

"It's alright Sora, you're safe in your quarters. Just breath with me and loosen your hands a bit, you're going to hurt yourself." He needed to get Sora calmed down enough to talk about what was wrong. He didn't want to take him to Sickbay or have to sedate him unless there was no other choice. "You're safe Sora, no one is going to hurt you. I'm just going to touch your hands," he warned him, touching the back of the human looking hand, assuming he would handle that better.

He felt Sora flinch but he left his hand there, letting him get used to a painless touch, assuming he was overwhelmed by memories of his assimilation or one of the many surgeries, another reason he didn't want to have to take him to sickbay.

"I won't hurt you Sora, it's Tom, Tom Paris. You're on board Voyager."

Sora actually whimpered and Tom felt his heart crack at the sound. He'd been so strong…

He carefully began working his hand under Sora's since it was pressed to his organic eye far too hard. The last thing he needed was to damage it and need another implant. It was easy to forget that even ex-drones were stronger. "Please Sora, you're going to hurt yourself."

To his relief, the pressure eased some, and he managed to slowly draw Sora's hands away if only by a little. Times like this, he really missed Kes' presence, she had been very good at calming people and putting them at ease.

"There you go, it's okay," he whispered.

Sora shook his head, trembling slightly. Tom was getting worried about his implants and how strong his emotional reaction was currently. Tom carefully shifted so he was sitting and then drew Sora back into him. He wasn't good at comfort, there'd been little enough of it in the Admiral's home. But Sora had no memory of such comfort and he obviously needed it.

Sora tensed and Tom readied to let go if he fought, but then he went limp. "So many…so many…."

"So many what, Sora?" he asked carefully.

"Faces…so many…."

"Sora, I need you to breath with me, you need to calm down," he urged, rocking the teen gently. If he didn't start to calm in a minute he'd have to call for a transport to sickbay.

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Riku gripped the sink in the tiny bathroom on the ship, pressing a hand to his chest. Sora… he was in so much pain…but he didn't think it was physical. It was the time when he could sometimes Dive, but if Sora was awake then it wouldn't work. He wanted so much to be there for him, to help him with whatever was hurting him. He reached for Sora, trying to offer what he could, but Sora wasn't allowing it, consciously or not.

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It was working, but without knowing the cause he could traumatise the kid even further… "Paris to Tuvok."

"Go ahead Lieutenant."

"I need you in Sora's quarters."

"Has something occurred?"

"It's not a security matter but hurry."

"Very well."

"Tuvok's on his way Sora, just keep breathing," he urged.

Sora was almost gasping for air but even as the door chimed.

"Computer, identify," he called and as soon it identified Tuvok, Tom called for him to enter.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Tuvok had suspected many reasons for his being called, seeing Sora and Tom on the floor with Sora in Tom's arms. He could hear him struggling to breath and moved swiftly to join them, kneeling down. "What has happened?"

"He missed our lesson today and Seven contacted me when he was late for his Regeneration Cycle. I had to use a medical override to get in, found him here. He's not coherent enough to say what's wrong."

"Sora, can you hear me?" Tuvok asked, but the younger male just whimpered.

"I thought maybe he was flashing back to his assimilation. He said something about so many faces."

"Get him up on the couch please Mr Paris. I need to prepare."

"Sure," he began shifting Sora so he could stand.

Tuvok went to the replicator. If Sora was flashing back then they needed to help break him out of it. He set the candles up and lit them, letting the scent fill the air, Voyager did not smell like a Cube but locked in a strong memory he may need the extra sensory difference.

He walked back to find Sora in the corner of the couch, pressed into the corner, staring at nothing. He sat down and observed for a second. "I shall attempt a mind meld to bring him out of it."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Monitor him, if his vitals begin to change to much, we shall have to risk sickbay," he told him. Once Paris had nodded, Tuvok reached out to begin the meld. Having performed multiple ones on Sora made it far easier to initiate.

Like the first meld, he found himself elsewhere, but the place was not so pleasant. Borg ships were not one of his preferred locations. "Sora?" he called, walking through the Cube.

He saw people everywhere in various stages of assimilation, not a surprising thing to see on a Cube. Was he going to witness Sora's assimilation? What he found explained everything. He approached slowly, unsure if it was a memory of Sora or his consciousness.

"Sora?" he called, and the drone before him turned, assimilation tubules buried in the neck of a girl who looked a lot like Naomi. "Sora, this is not real. It is a memory turning into a nightmare. You need to push it aside."

Sora did not verbally respond, removing the tubules from the girl only to turn and approach him. Tuvok blocked him, restraining him as best he could.

"Sora, you need to focus," Tuvok told him. Nothing was working, he needed something to get through to him. "Sora, reach for Riku," he encouraged. He doubted that Sora actually could, but if they truly were linked, perhaps he could use it to breach the gap. Sora it seemed needed more help than he could give.

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Riku froze, but then summoned Braveheart, feeling the power. It was the link with Sora but something was strange, still he could feel himself being called so he opened the portal and Dove, ready to fight if he had to.

What he found was unlike anything he had ever seen before and had him very on edge. It was dark, the lights strange.

"Sora you must focus," a male voice sounded.

Riku leapt up a wall, Flowmotion coming to him easily in a Dream, except…it wasn't quite a dream. He perched up high, seeing a man dressed in black with yellow over the shoulders. He was struggling with some kind of mechanical being…calling it Sora? He dropped to the floor, Keyblade in hand and the man looked up, revealing strangely arched eyebrows and…was his ear pointed? That reminded him of Saïx, but he was restraining, not hurting. "Who are you?" he asked.

"You are Riku?" the man asked, and Riku nodded, glancing around, relieved to see no Nightmares around.

"Where's Sora? How are you here?" he asked. That couldn't be Sora, could it. But the man glanced down and Riku swallowed. "Sora?" he called, taking a step forward. "Sora, it's Riku."

The figure froze in its struggles, confirming the. Identification.

"Sora, it's a nightmare. Let me fight it, that's what I'm here for," he offered a shaky smile when Sora's head turned towards him, one eye dull and the other…gone? Covered? The stranger let go and Sora moved away from them both, utterly silent. Riku dismissed Braveheart, ignoring the stranger, walking towards Sora, hand outstretched. "It's alright Sora, I'm here, I won't let anything hurt you," he promised. "I'm what Nightmares fear," he offered a smirk.

"Ri...ku," Sora said, his voice flat.

"Yeah, I'm here." He held his hand out, ignoring that Sora only seemed to have one, the other replaced by some kind of machine.

Sora stared blankly at him, not emotion, nothing.

"We are the Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life as it has been is over. From this time forward, you will service us." the words began to sound on repeat, like thousands of voices speaking together.

"What is that?" he asked warily, hand flexing but withholding from summoning his Keyblade for the moment.

"The Borg Collective," the stranger answered. "I have never seen this in his mind before during our melds. I believe it has come forward due to his emotional distress. We are currently in his shipboard quarters on Voyager, he is in no physical danger. The ship medic is present and will call for the Doctor should it be needed."

"He said Voyager found and freed him, what did he mean?" Riku asked even as Sora's hand lifted jerkily towards him.

"He was the sole survivor of a crash," the man said.

Sora's hand touched his and then Sora screamed, falling to his knees. Riku grabbed him, easing him down, the man joining him in supporting Sora.

"Breath Sora, you aren't with the Collective anymore. You are safe, try and remember our lessons."

"Tuvok?" Sora asked, sounding more aware if dazed.

"Here," the man assured him. "As is your friend Riku."

Sora slowly turned his head and Riku found a smile for him, squeezing his arm gently.

"Hey Sora," he offered softly. "Let's get you sitting down properly."

With Tuvok's help they got Sora down properly.

Riku reached out to touch the bald, almost white, head, stroking his hand over it gently. "Sora you need to wake up from this. Go back to where you are safe," he rested his hand on Sora's cheek, ignoring the metal he could feel. "I'm coming Sora, I promise. One day soon we'll see each other for real."

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Tuvok watched the silver-haired young man as he soothed Sora. He had never seen a human with such a hair colour before. And that had been a rather strange item or weapon he had held when he first appeared. But he had gotten through to Sora when they could not. The way he moved spoke of a warrior, but there was also gentleness. Slowly, the Cube around them began to flicker, distorting, another image trying to take its place.

Gradually, the light levels began to increase as Riku spoke softly to Sora, touching him with no fear of the Borg implants. It was a relief to see them begin to fade as well.

"Riku?" Sora asked, sounding more like the young man he had come to know.

"I'm with you Sora, always," he promised.

"Your hair…" Sora reached out, the vision of the prosthetic fading so that it was a human hand that touched the others hair.

"You remember?" Riku asked, and Sora frowned slightly.

"Longer?" he asked, and Riku nodded.

"That's what happens when you don't get it cut, I couldn't for quite a while."

It was strange that such an admittance seemed to sadden him, there must have been a story there that Sora had known.

"Sora," Tuvok called, and he looked up at him. "I need to end the mind meld. Will you be alright with Riku?"

Sora looked between them even as the Cube faded to the beach Tuvok remembered from the first meld.

"I will be waiting with Mr Paris when you're ready," Tuvok assured him before carefully extracting himself from the meld.

He found Sora had relaxed on the couch, eyes closed. Mr Paris and procured his medical tricorder at some point and was monitoring him. He glanced over and nodded at Tuvok.

"He's asleep, I don't know how, but brain waves are indicating normal REM sleep patterns."

"I didn't believe that was possible," Tuvok admitted as he moved away from Sora.

"Apparently it is. Got him calmed down then at least."

"It was not me. His bond to his friend came in very useful."

"What do you mean?" Mr Paris asked.

"He is there, with Sora now. His appearance is quite striking for a human, I have never seen one with such a hair colour before."

"So he's really able to reach Sora somehow…" he shook his head. "He needs to Regenerate, after that upset I'm worried about his implants."

"Indeed. Should we move him in his sleep though?"

"Let's give him some time to rest, see if he wakes naturally soon. I don't think he should make the walk to the cargo bay though."

"We will use the transporters," Tuvok agreed.

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"Can I hug you Sora?" Riku asked, desperate to offer comfort after what he'd seen. He didn't need to understand what had been happening to know that it was something utterly horrific. Sora looked back to himself now which was good but he shook his head, which wasn't. "Why not?" he asked.

"Irrelevant," Sora answered almost woodenly, gaze shifting to the sea, ands Riku grimaced. He could recognise that gaze, he'd had it himself after sealing the Door, had seen it on Terra's face many times in the years since Xehanort's defeat. It was guilt, all consuming guilt.

"Sora, look at me, please."

"Don't come," Sora said, and Riku swallowed, it was just the guilt talking.

"No Sora, I am coming. You've been my best friend, all of our lives, even if you don't remember it." he knelt in front of him, reaching out to stroke his face. "You never abandoned me, even when it was my fault our World was ripped apart. I won't give up on you. No matter what."

TBC…