This story will now be updating on Archive of Our Own only, this is the last chapter I plan on posting to FFN.

My username and the story title are the same over there, url is archiveofourown dot org slash works slash 40410993. The story is NOT locked to users only so can be viewed without needing an AO3 account. There are more chapters posted there already as well.

Sorry to anyone who is disappointed by this :( but posting here has become quite draining (variety of reasons) and I hope that if you have been enjoying this story you'll check it out over there!

They called everyone. Everyone they could think of who might have some idea, any idea, what could have happened to Sora and Yen Sid. Donald and Goofy began working their way through friends in other worlds, while Riku and Kairi dialled the three back in the Land of Departure, Roxas and the others in Twilight Town, even their own parents and Sora's back in the Destiny Islands, although they kept those conversations casual to avoid any panic. They then moved on to those in Radiant Garden; Leon, Aerith and Naminè, Yuffie, Cid, Merlin, and eventually Ienzo, Ansem, and Even at the lab.

By the time Riku tried to call the three scientists it was getting late into the night. No one picked up the main phone in the lab, and Ienzo didn't answer his Gummi phone. Riku tried a few more times for good measure before giving up, accepting most people would be sleeping by now, with no missing Sora to preoccupy them.

No one had seen or heard anything. Not about Sora, Yen Sid, or anything out of the ordinary at all. They were at a loss for what to do.

"Ah phooey..." Donald lamented as Kairi told him, Goofy, Mickey, and Minnie that they'd had just as little success as them.

"I guess all we can do right now is wait," Mickey said, shoulders slumped in disappointment. "Maybe in the morning, someone will see something."

"We can't just sit around and do nothing though," Riku said flatly.

"But what can we do?" Donald asked, looking from the phone screen to Goofy, who was feeling just as clueless.

Riku didn't have an easy answer to that. "Well... Kairi and I will stay here, in case Yen Sid turns back up, and we can look for more clues." Kairi nodded.

Other than that though, no one had any suggestions. If nothing happened and there was no word from their friends in the few remaining hours before dawn, then the next day search parties would start heading out, and fan across the worlds. They ended the call, with plans to check in the next morning.

It didn't take long for Riku and Kairi to turn Yen Sid's study upside down and, aside from the bare bedrooms that hadn't been used in months, the tower seemed unwilling to let them travel any further into its depths. There was nothing of use in the study. The desk had no drawers. The books on the shelves were the same dusty tomes that had always sat there. The chalkboard was wiped clean. There was nothing.

Refusing to accept defeat, Kairi began combing through the least dusty of the books, hoping maybe there was some kind of clue in the one Yen Sid had most recently opened. It wasn't long before the dull reading put her to sleep though, and she sat in Yen Sid's tall chair slumped forward on the table, cheek pressed to the pages. Riku didn't wake her. It would be dawn in other worlds soon, he might as well let her get some rest before they resumed their desperate calls.

Since they had finished their search he had been focussing his heart and thoughts on trying to trace his and Sora's connection. But even after hours spent listening to the whisper of their music, he still had no idea where he was.

He raised a hand to the pendant hanging from his neck as he stared out at the hundreds of stars in the sky, each one a far-off world full of places to hide, or to be hidden. "Where are you Sora..."

Even's stomach was in knots as he listened to Ansem the Wise and Master Yen Sid discuss how they should proceed. Ansem had told Dilan and Aeleus to stay away from the lab, and that while what was happening there was not pleasant, it was necessary. From what he had overheard while Ansem spoke to them, they knew Sora was here but were now under the impression it was out of choice. That he was sick somehow and had come to them for help.

They had escorted Ienzo back to his room on Ansem's orders, and locked him there. It was a testament to just how guilty the two of them still felt about their past actions that they ignored Ienzo's pleas and attempts to explain the situation when their master told them not to listen to him. Ansem said Ienzo was mistaken, that he did not understand what was happening.

Once returned to their human form both Aeleus and Dilan had been so full of remorse for their part in Ansem's banishment that they had sworn they would never mistrust or oppose him again. Even wondered if they would keep that oath if they knew the truth, or if they would let doubt sway them, the way it had Ienzo. The knots in his stomach were made from doubt.

But he had to trust his master when he said this was just what had to be done, no matter how distasteful. He had returned to his research for the sake of atonement, to serve his master and to serve others to make up for his past trespasses. If he wished to be a servant of good, the same way Ansem the Wise was, then he would just have to trust him.

Both Yen Sid and Ansem were watching Sora on the screen. They had left him lying on the floor in the same room, wanting to keep him contained there until they decided what their next step would be. He was still sleeping. Yen Sid expected the strain on his body from fighting and the accelerated healing would keep him asleep for a good while longer, even without his magic.

"If he tries to resist then the machine may not be able to extract it," Ansem mused aloud, and Even's heart skipped a beat.

"Master, what machine are you referring to?" Ansem turned to him and his expression was enough to confirm Even's suspicions.

"We must destroy this darkness Sora's heart currently contains. So we will attempt to extract it using the machine we built for our old experiments."

"But that machine was destroyed? I thought that whole lab was destroyed?"

"It was, but for the sake of this exceptional circumstance, some of it has been rebuilt."

"But sir, those experiments- I thought you said they were never to be repeated?" This made no sense. Ansem the Wise had conducted some experiments using that machine, yes, but when they had gone badly he had forbidden anyone from using it, or anything similar, ever again.

The fury he had shown when he discovered Even, Xehanort, and the others had continued those experiments was unforgettable. One of his first commands, after he returned and retook control of Radiant Garden, had been the destruction of that machine and the chambers those horrific experiments had taken place in. He was the one who had ordered that no such experiments were ever to happen again.

"Yes, and I meant it at the time Even, truly I did. But like I said, this is an exceptional circumstance."

More doubt twisted in his gut. "Yes... yes it is." He gazed down silently, and the others continued their morbid discussions.

"As I was saying, if he tries to fight the extraction then it may not be enough to just use the machine," Ansem said. "In which case, we will need him to change forms again."

"Which is something he will likely also resist." Yen Sid paused as he considered the possibilities, and came to the conclusion there was only one option before them. "We may have to take matters into our own hands."

"Let us hope he will cooperate then... We should wait and let him recover for a few hours before we attempt the extraction. The machine needs time to be charged regardless."

Even was beginning to feel ill. "If you have no more need of me master I will retire for now, and return when we are ready to continue." Ansem gave him a nod of permission, then turned back to the image of Sora as Even left.

The unconscious boy on the screen must be seventeen or so by now he thought, but to his eyes, he still appeared but a child. So young and utterly defenceless at this moment. The same way Roxas had looked years ago, slumped against a wall in another cold laboratory room as he prepared to transport him to a data prison. He sighed deeply and bowed his head. "I never expected I would find myself knowingly harming a child again."

"It seems in this battle between light and darkness, there must be villains on both sides," Yen Sid lamented as he stared at Sora. "Villains, and victims." Part of him wished Mickey had never discovered that cursed book. But it seemed they had little choice in the face of its knowledge.

The surface he woke up on this time was just as hard and cold as the last, though someone had at least given him a thin pillow. With a groan, he opened his eyes and pushed himself up. The room he was in was small, dim, and apparently empty, aside from the bench he lay on and a glass of water on the ground beside it, which he snatched up at once. He drained it quickly. His throat was bone dry after the strenuous battle. If you could even call it a battle, he thought to himself. Why had Rage been like that?

He took the time now to examine the room more closely. It didn't look at all like the laboratory. This room looked much more like the bowels of the castle, but he had never been in this room when he, Donald, and Goofy explored it, back when Maleficent still ruled over it. Why would they have put him down here? The walls were made of greyish-purple bricks and the floor was plain stone. Metal pipes snaked up the wall opposite him, coming up from the floor and appearing to pass between the bricks into the adjoining room. The other walls were bare, aside from a singular door. It was freezing.

As he swung his legs off the side of the stone bench his stomach gave a loud growl. The ache in his gut was clearly from more than just healing magic and the beating he had taken from the Heartless. He must have been asleep for a while then. But why? His memory after changing back to his usual self was still foggy. He remembered Ienzo gripping his shoulder, the other three staring down at him, and that Ienzo had seemed... scared.

Something was wrong. He shouldn't still be here. Had Yen Sid put him to sleep again? That didn't make sense. He'd been in control of Rage. He'd told them so, and they must have been watching when he transformed back. Maybe his injuries had been worse than he thought and they'd put him to sleep simply so he would heal faster? But surely they would have told him that's what they were doing? Something was very, very wrong.

Heart thumping hard, he crossed the room and pressed an ear to the door. There were muffled voices on the other side, but he couldn't make out any words, or who the voices belonged to. Might as well go through... It didn't seem like he had any other options right now. He pushed open the door and found himself in the corner of a larger room, with identical stone walls and floors. This one was full of strange things though.

More pipes protruded from the walls and floors, with the occasional thick electrical cable twisted between them. They trailed up the walls and looped across the ceiling, where they each connected with one of five large purple objects hanging from the roof, arranged in a perfectly spaced circle. They looked like crystals of some sort. In the centre of the circle they formed was a far larger, jet black gemstone. It was suspended inside a glass sphere, which itself was hanging several feet from the roof, at the end of a thin metal bar. Directly beneath it was a bare metal table.

"Hello, Sora"

He jerked around. He'd been so preoccupied with the strange scene before him he hadn't noticed Yen Sid and Ansem standing on the other side of the room. The unmistakable shimmer of a barrier spell hung in the air before them. Why had Yen Sid formed a wall of protection between him and them?

"What's going on? Where's Ienzo?"

"He is back in the lab." Ansem didn't elaborate further.

The only other door he could see in the room was directly behind them. Behind the magical barrier. Sora began making his way cautiously towards them, his anger and unease growing with each step. "Why am I still here? Tell me what's going on!"

Yen Sid intended on telling him the truth. It seemed the least he could do, and if Sora knew why they were doing this maybe he would cooperate. He closed his eyes briefly, while Sora glared furiously.

"What the hell else do you want from me!?"

"Sora," Yen Sid began, returning his stare. "The darkness you are harbouring is dangerous. Not-"

"But I controlled it!"

"It is not just dangerous to others, but to the Realm of Light itself."

"What?" Sora stopped his advance. "What do you mean?"

"We believe your heart harbours a powerful dark entity," Ansem continued. "The rage being that possessed you in Quadratum must be removed and destroyed."

"But Rage isn't from there, I've used it heaps before!"

"As you said though, this was something different."

"But it's not now!"

"You said it still felt separate Sora, I am sorry but-"

"Not like it was there though! I controlled it!"

"We cannot take this risk Sora." Ansem's face was like stone. Neither he nor Yen Sid seemed to be listening to a word he said. His eyes flickered back and forth between the men's faces, the hanging crystal, and the metal table beneath it. Panic was rising in his chest. Acid was rising in his throat.

Then several things happened in quick succession. Sora opened his palm, bending his knees and getting ready to sprint as he summoned his weapon, but before the Keyblade materialised in his hand, he felt an invisible hand grasp him tightly around the chest, pinning his arms to his side.

Yen Sid had raised his own hand. He waved it towards the centre of the room and Sora flew across it, up into the air, and was slammed down onto the table. If he hadn't been so exhausted already he might have been able to pull away in time, but his reflexes were dulled in his drained state. He cried out in shock and pain as his head banged against the metal, and then he felt something hard and cold clasp itself around his wrists.

"What the-?" He tried to sit up but only got halfway there. He looked down and saw metal bars had slid up and out of the table, and were now fastened tightly around his wrists, pinning them in place. His hands were obscured, both enclosed in a sort of metallic dome. He couldn't summon his Keyblade.

He thrashed against the restraints, desperately trying to free himself, kicking against the table and trying to tug his hands out of the covers. For a moment city streets flashed before him. Metal chains around his wrists.

"The machine above you was designed to extract the darkness from a heart." Ansem's voice jolted him back to the present and he turned to him, white-faced and frightened. "It will remove the darkness that makes up Rage so that we are able to trap it, and destroy it."

"No..." Sora's mind was reeling. This couldn't be happening. Removing the darkness from a heart was exactly the same thing Xehanort had done to Ven. "No, if you take it out... He'll be free, you'll create another Vanitus if you do this!"

He stared beseechingly at Yen Sid, surely a Keyblade Master like him wouldn't do something like this. But the sorcerer seemed as certain in his conviction as Ansem. "In which case, we will contain the being, and deal with it."

"No... you can't do this." Another nightmare. Why wouldn't this one end.

"I am sorry Sora," Yen Sid said, yet again. "But we have to stop the darkness."

Sora was barely listening though. He was staring up at the sharp point of the crystal high above him. What would be left of his own heart if they did this? Ven had barely survived being divided like that, and his heart hadn't already been cracked beyond repair like his own was. "But... what's going to happen to me?" he said quietly.

"I am afraid if you resist we cannot guarantee it will not cause harm to you, Sora," Ansem's voice was less harsh now. There was sadness beneath the sternness. "But this has to be done."

Sora looked away from the mess of cables above him and saw both Ansem and Yen Sid turning away, making their way to the door. "Don't do this!" he screamed out. He had to convince them, not just for his sake, but for everyones'. "No! STOP!"

But the door was swinging shut behind them, and a faint hum of electricity was beginning to fill the room. He resumed his urgent fight to free himself but suddenly his legs wouldn't move and a metal bar slid out from the table around his chest, pulling him back and holding him flat against it. There were bars around his ankles as well, cutting into his shins as he kicked against them.

The elevator that led back from the dungeon like basement to the computer room was swift. Even had watched Yen Sid and Ansem exit the extractor room barely a minute before they arrived there to join him as he observed Sora's struggle. Even was feeling ill again. He doubted it had anything to do with lack of sleep. It had taken until the early hours of the morning for the power-hungry machine to charge, and he suspected the sun had not yet risen outside.

"Are we ready to begin?" Ansem asked his apprentice and Even nodded. "Alright, let us proceed then."

Sora was doing all he could to contain his panic. He had to think of something. There had to be some way he could break free. But the hum was getting louder, and the five smaller crystals were starting to glow. He watched as they gave off small sparks, the light inside them growing brighter, turning them from dark purple to pure white.

Maybe I should just give in...

Why hold on to Rage anyway? Wasn't this what he wanted, to be free of him? To have that stain scrubbed away?

The intense white light of the gems above him was becoming painful. Energy crackled around them.

No.

He couldn't give in. He couldn't let that happen. What if his heart was so damaged it wasn't Rage that was torn from his body, but the rest of him? And then there would be no one, nothing to try and hold Rage back. Nothing but his own darkness, unchecked.

In unison, the five crystals gave off a blinding flash and sent a beam of light towards the large central one. It glittered and gave off a sound like thunder.

He didn't want to die. He didn't want to fade away again, or have his heart shattered further, nothing but a shell left behind.

A final beam of light, shooting down towards him.

Riku...

A white-hot wire pierced his chest. A moment of pain. Then, nothing.

He was falling.

The room was gone. The table beneath him, the metal holding his hands in place, the bar across his chest and legs. Gone. Falling through the blackness. Floating in the darkness.

Riku, help me... please

He couldn't see anything, but he could hear it.

Glass cracking.

His very self being fractured.

He could feel his pieces moving, like they might fall apart at any moment.

Scattering.

Riku, help me

Riku's vision swam, and the faint melody he had been listening to so intently became distorted. Loud then silent. Notes shrill and racing, then suddenly slow and deep.

Riku...

He clasped a hand to his head as it throbbed. He could hear him crying out. Calling out for him. "Sora?"

The tower room and sky were gone. They had winked out in an instant as his vision was flooded with black. He wasn't sure if he was falling or flying, but there was a dot of colour in the dark. A light like a star in the distance.

Sora!

He willed himself towards it, trying to yell out, but his mouth made no sound here. It was working though, he was hurtling towards it- towards him.

Sora!

Riku...

Riku stopped and floated before him. Sora's eyes were closed and his face blank as he hovered in the darkness, and though his mouth didn't move Riku could hear him. His voice sounded so weak.

I'm here Sora

Riku reached out to touch his shoulder and placed a hand on his cheek, but he didn't react. It was as though he were asleep again, trapped in a dream. But this was different. He could feel Sora's terror and desperation as though it was his own.

Can you hear me Sora? Open your eyes

If there had been air in this void to take in Riku would have gasped, as a pulse emanated from Sora's body, causing his own chest to rattle as Sora seemed to momentarily shift in and out of existence.

Riku...

I'm here, I'm here with you, just open your eyes Sora

Another pulse, like a punch in Riku's gut, but he didn't move, he refused to let it push him back. He'd closed his own eyes from the shock and when he opened them again there was a red glow coming from Sora's chest. A black circle floating just above his heart, ribbons of red and purple light swirling around it. No, leaking from it.

Another pulse and Riku realised what it was. A heartbeat. He placed a hand against Sora's heart.

Please... Riku

Pain sliced at his palm and Riku winced. It felt as though a shard of glass had been drawn across it, but he kept his hand against him.

I'm here Sora

Another beat and this time Sora's body momentarily convulsed and pain contorted his face. Riku could hear him yell out in his mind. And then he curled inwards, reaching up and grasping Riku's hand on his chest.

He could feel it pulling at him. It was burrowing into his chest, reaching down into him and trying to drag something out. But now he could feel him there as well. Riku, holding on to him.

Please, keep fighting Sora

He had to keep himself together, hold his pieces in place. But it was pulling at his edges, trying to split him in two. His strength was ebbing away.

I can't

He could feel the force attacking Sora now. Something trying to force its way inside, or maybe pull something out? He couldn't tell, but it didn't matter. The next pulse seared against his hand.

Sora was strong, but the force he was fighting right now was so powerful. Riku could feel it, even from whatever distance it was that was separating them.

I can't Riku...

Giving up already?

He almost smiled as he pressed his forehead to Sora's. With a hand still against his chest, he wrapped an arm around him, desperate to help him as he tried so hard to hold himself together, to stop his damaged heart from breaking further.

Come on Sora, I thought you were stronger than that

He was so tired though, so drained.

You can do this Sora

But Riku was right. He couldn't give up now. He couldn't let them win. He had to hold on.

Another pulse, and the pain against his palm was weaker.

You can do this Sora

He closed his eyes, trying to extend his own heart and power around him, shielding him from whatever was tearing at his heart. He had to stop it. He had to protect him whilst Sora fought with all he had to pull those cracked pieces back together.

Riku...

Another pulse, and the pain against his palm was gone.

The wrenching inside him was gone in an instant, and now he really could feel Riku's arm around him, his hand pressed hard to his heart and his own on top of his.

"Sora!" He opened his eyes and, for the shortest of moments, they stared at each other. Riku's eyes were wide with fear as he grabbed onto Sora's shoulders "Where are you?"

"Radiant-!"

A hook seemed to yank at his chest. He was flying backwards. Riku was gone in an instant.

He woke, gasping and coughing, with the taste of blood in the back of his throat. The force drilling into his chest was gone. He was alive. He was still him.

But he was still strapped to the table, imprisoned in the same frigid room. Sparks were raining down from the ceiling and he could hear the crackling of electricity. The table seemed to be shaking beneath his back, he was shivering so violently. At least the pain in his chest had lessened. It ached like his sternum was broken, but the wrenching pain in his heart had stopped.

Alarms and flashing warnings on the computer monitor were going off in the lab several floors above. "What happened?" Yen Sid demanded of Ansem.

"I don't know," he said, studying the screens before him along with Even. "The machine has stopped for some reason. The extraction failed."

"Maybe there's something wrong with it," Even muttered as he scanned the many numbers and logs scrolling across the screen. "But I can't see anything abnormal. It's like his heart just... shielded itself somehow."

"What do you mean Even?" Ansem asked, rounding on him.

"I don't know sir, but something stopped it. The machine is out of power, but it doesn't seem damaged."

In the depths of the laboratory basement, Sora was struggling against his restraints again. With the minuscule energy his body had left, it was a futile endeavour though, and after several seconds he fell back. His vision was hazy. Please let him have heard me, please...

The three men watched the video feed of Sora as he closed his eyes, and his head lolled to the side. A thin stream of blood trickled from his nose. Ansem sighed. It seemed the boys suffering would have to continue. "His vitals appear stable thankfully, so we can attempt again once the machine is ready, but it appears we will need him to transform in order to extract it." He turned pointedly to Yen Sid.

"I shall take care of that." He paused, a sombre expression on his face. "We must do all we can to spare his life, but if he still will not release it, then I am afraid that may not be possible."
Even felt suddenly cold. "Sir, you make it sound... Does that mean you would go so far as to kill him?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"It is a last resort, but if we cannot extract it then that may be the only way to destroy this darkness."

Ansem sighed again. "The book speaks of a sacrifice the child of destiny must make. Death may be it."

Kairi jumped as a yelp and a loud bang woke her. "Riku? What's... Riku!" She dashed from the desk to where he had fallen hard to his knees. He was clutching his head and panting hard. As she reached out to put a hand on his shoulder he dropped to the floor in a faint. "Riku! Can you hear me?" She shook his arm but his eyes stayed closed. She could see his pupils moving quickly beneath their lids though, and he was twitching as though having a vivid dream.

Kairi's heart was racing, but she tried her best to stay calm. She'd seen Sora pass out before and he always came too quickly, this was probably just like that. She just had to wait. Riku's face was screwed up in agitation though, and he was mumbling to himself. She couldn't make out his words but he sounded terribly anxious. It was almost as if he was having a nightmare. She squeezed his arm and ran a hand through his hair, hoping to either comfort or wake him.

The seconds dragged on painfully as she continued to call out to him. Just as she pulled out her Gummi phone, praying that Aqua was somehow still awake and could help somehow, Riku stopped muttering and his eyes flew open.

"SORA!" He sat bolt upright, throwing a hand out as though trying to grab something floating before him, before overbalancing and slumping sideways. Kairi caught him by the shoulders and held him up as he took sharp, gasping breaths.

"Hey, take it easy Riku!" Kairi ordered him, holding him tightly as he tried to push himself to his feet. If he hadn't been so disorientated and preoccupied with the sight of Sora disappearing into the dark, he would have been surprised by just how strong she was. "Are you OK?" she asked when he stopped struggling. He was still breathing hard and fast, needing to catch his breath so he could get the words out. He turned and grabbed her arm.

"Radiant Garden! He's in Radiant Garden!"

"What?!"

"I saw him! He's... something's happening, but he's there, he's definitely there!" She didn't stop him this time as he got to his feet, and sprinted after him as he made for the door, flung it open, and started hurtling down the spiral stairs.

"What did you see?" Kairi yelled after him, but he didn't answer. He was pulling his phone from his pocket as he ran and by the time they reached the Gummi ship a dishevelled-looking Mickey had answered his call.

"Ri-?"

"Mickey! He's in Radiant Garden! He's in trouble, we have to get there now!"

"Radiant Garden? Why-"

"I don't know, but he's in trouble, can you, Donald, and Goofy meet us at Merlin's?"

"Of course Riku! But why do you think he's there?"

"I saw him, he told me that's where he is, I can explain later," he cut Mickey off before he could ask more. "But trust me Mickey, that's where he is."

Mickey stared at him for a moment, then a look of determination came over him and he nodded. "Alright Riku, we'll be there as soon as we can!" Riku smiled, gave him a nod of thanks before hanging up, and then punched the Radiant Garden coordinates into the ship dash. Kairi was already on the phone with Aqua, passing on the same information. As the engines of the ship revved up and she moved on to calling Axel, Riku fixed his eyes on the stars.

"Just hold on Sora, we're on our way..."

Ienzo was woken by the sound of quiet, but insistent, knocking at his door. He was surprised he had managed to doze off when his anxious brain had been working so hard on ideas for helping Sora.

Glancing at his watch he found it was close to 5am, and he had no idea why someone would be coming to wake him up now. Maybe they had come to their senses and changed their minds? The door was locked from the outside so he didn't understand why someone was knocking.

"Yes?" he called out hesitantly. He jumped as the lock immediately clicked and the door opened, revealing a frantic looking Even. "Even? What-" but he stopped as the other man raised a finger to his lips and slipped inside.

"Keep your voice down," he whispered urgently, closing the door as softly as he could behind him.

"What are you doing here?"

Even responded by pushing a Gummi phone into his hands. "I assume Aeleus and Dilan took yours. I don't know how much time I have so listen carefully."

In case you missed the announcement at the top: This story will now be updating on Archive of Our Own only, this is the last chapter I plan on posting to FFN.

My username and the story title are the same over there, url is archiveofourown dot org slash works slash 40410993.

The story is NOT locked to users only so can be viewed without needing an AO3 account. There are more chapters posted there already as well.

Sorry to anyone who is disappointed by this :( but posting here has become quite draining (variety of reasons) and I hope that if you have been enjoying this story you'll check it out over there!