Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 13

Ienzo sank down on the worn chair, as far as he could tell he was alone, the castle in very bad repair. But he'd seen the town outside one window, it too was badly damaged but there had been movement. Humans…or Heartless? He hadn't found a way out and he could no longer use the Corridors, he'd tried but nothing had happened. He definitely had his Heart back, he was scared, if he couldn't find a way out…would he die here? There was no food and while he could likely gather some rainwater, starvation would be the real threat. If he could tell if the movement was people, he could attempt to signal for help…but would any survivors there want to help him? He drew his knees to his chest, arms wrapped around his legs. He wanted Even…he wanted Master Ansem.

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"Gifts?" Sora asked his friend; Axel had really left the Organisation?

"Every bit of data I could nab from the various computers and labs," Axel explained, and Sora blinked. That was…a massive help, hopefully.

"You're alright?" he asked, to be sure, and Axel smirked at him.

"I'm fine squirt."

Sora's glare at the nickname was surprisingly natural looking. Seemed being back with his old friends had helped him learn to be more expressive, that was good, the kid shouldn't always be so blank. He seemed different…more relaxed? Well that made sense, he was no longer having to hide anything like he had with the Organisation.

"Missed me?" he teased, and then was surprised when Sora nodded. He had missed Sora; it hadn't been the same without him. But he'd half thought the kid would forget all about him once back with his friends, and Axel wouldn't have blamed him.

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Sora knew he should feel relieved to see Axel, he had been…concerned about him, as much as he was able to anyway. But was he any safer with them? Probably not, not when they were about to start interfering with the Organisations' plans. The data he'd been brought had been loaded into both ship computers as well as DiZ's since they were leaving in the morning. Hopefully they'd find something useful in it.

He knew Riku and Kairi wouldn't be happy when they found out, but he wasn't planning to go with Naminé and Toshi now, Axel could do that. It'd be better if he travelled alone so no one else would be in danger when Xemnas worked out he was alive. He could handle missions on his own, this wouldn't be any different, he'd be careful not to be seen, especially by anyone he'd met before becoming a Nobody. He didn't want to confuse things, everyone who needed to know did.

They were packing everything up, planning to abandon the mansion, it was getting too dangerous to use Twilight Town as their base. Tomorrow, they would all be going their separate ways.

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"What is it Riku?" Kairi asked after he glanced her way for what had to be the tenth time in five minutes.

"it's nothing," he shook his head, going back to work disconnecting the pod. They didn't want the Organisation finding anything if they found the lab.

"Riku," she turned to face him, crossing her arms, and was shocked when…was he blushing? Okay, so it couldn't be anything bad then, right? "Please talk to me," she stepped up, taking the cord from him so she could take his hands.

"I uh…I want to be with Sora tonight," he mumbled.

She frowned slightly. "We share a bed every night," she pointed out, and he went even redder.

"Not just…to sleep," he shifted, uncomfortable.

Not just to…oh! "Riku, are….are you sure? It's not something to rush, I don't want either of you to be hurt. I…I'm not ready but if you're sure…" now she was blushing.

"I am," he stated, voice firmer. "We're splitting up Kairi, we don't know when we'll see him next…what could happen…"

"Yeah," she whispered. "Okay, if Sora wants it too, I'll sleep in the other room tonight."

"Kairi, if you don't want me to…"

"No," she shook her head. "We're all together but we all get to choose when things happen. If you and Sora are ready for that, then you're ready," she promised.

"Okay," Riku agreed. He tugged her closer and kissed her softly. Kairi smiled and kissed back.

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Riku beat Sora to their room which was good. He was nervous but he figured that was normal. He didn't think Sora would turn him down, not with how much he enjoyed kissing and touching, how close they'd come to doing more the morning Kairi woke from the memory restoration. Thankfully, Twilight Town was a very modern World, one where he'd been able to do some research and get supplies, no matter how embarrassing it had been, he was very grateful no one knew him here.

To keep from pacing he stripped down to his underwear and then sat on the bed, relieved when the door opened and Sora walked in, looking down at a book in his hand as he walked.

Sora looked up and blinked at him. "Riku? Is everything alright, where's Kairi?"

Riku shifted on the bed, taking a deep breath. "She's in the other bedroom," the one Sora used to use before they started sharing a bed.

Sora stared at him in confusion before his gaze lowered, roaming Riku's body, and he fought not to fidget or try and cover himself more. Sora set the book aside and walked over to him, stepping close, and Riku had to shift his legs apart to let Sora stand there, looking up to meet blue eyes, seeing a flicker of emotion there, he was sure he did. "Riku," Sora murmured.

"I want this Sora," he swallowed, throat dry.

Sora reached out and gently stroked his fingers through Riku's hair and he leant into the touch. "Want how far?" he asked softly.

"Everything," Riku reached up to pull him down into a kiss. He let Sora push him down onto the bed and then Sora straightened up and stripped off his jacket.

"You're sure?" he asked even as he kicked his shoes off.

"Positive," he promised. "But only if you want it too."

He watched Sora strip, unable to tear his eyes away even as he wriggled up on the bed so he was on the pillows. His eyes widened when Sora took everything off, he hadn't seen him naked since they were little and had skinny dipped a few times or shared a bath after a day at the beach and his body had changed since then…had changed even more when he became a Nobody. He reached down to push his own underwear off, lying there as Sora studied him. Then Sora got back on the bed, crawling up it until he was holding himself over him, and Riku felt his heart begin to race.

"Riku…you know I can't feel what you do."

He reached up to cup Sora's cheek, tugging him down into a kiss. "You said you remember loving me, do you think if you had your Heart that would have changed?" he asked, and Sora shook his head. "If physical pleasure is all you can feel, then I want you to feel it Sora. I want you to have something when we don't know when we'll see each other again."

"I can find you anywhere now Riku," Sora promised, leaning in to kiss him again. Riku pulled him down on top of him and okay…definitely felt even better fully naked. "Do you…" Sora paused to kiss him again, "know what to do?"

"Yeah, I uh…did some research last trip, got what we need too. Do you?" he was breathing more heavily now, his skin tingling.

Sora shook his head. "Not in Ansem's lesson plans."

Riku shuddered. "No talking about him in bed," he decided, and Sora laughed and then blinked, surprised by his own reaction. "And I don't think you're as emotionless as you've been told. I've seen it, Kairi has, even Mickey and the others beside DiZ. Maybe it's not to the level we can, but sometimes there's a flicker in you."

Sora shook his head, but Riku nodded, running his hands over Sora's back and sides, feeling him shiver. "Fake it," he answered, and then whined softly when Riku's hand brushed over his ribs, he'd always been sensitive there.

"There's a difference," Riku promised, trying to pull him even closer.

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Ugh, she'd gotten too used to sharing a bed with her boys. She couldn't hear anything from the other bedroom but did she want to? They should have privacy for their first time. There was no jealousy, she knew that they'd both be happy to share that with her, individually or together, but only once she was ready for it. She loved them both and wanted to be with them, she'd gotten used to how different Sora was now in looks and personality. And yet there was something holding her back from taking the last step with him, more than Riku. Maybe...it was because she was a Princess of Heart and he was a Nobody? She hated that it could be.

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Sora woke slowly, feeling completely relaxed, opening his eyes to a curtain of silver hair. He stayed still, sensing Riku was still deeply asleep, his head over Sora's chest. There was a slight, fading, ache and that brought the memories rushing back. That had been…how hadn't he walked in on more Organisation members? He'd felt almost human for the first time since waking as a Nobody.

Poor Riku had been a bit embarrassed when he'd explained things but Sora had insisted they do it the way they had, he was a lot harder to injure and healed faster than a person did, so it made sense. And he hadn't wanted to risk hurting Riku either.

He was content to lie in bed and let Riku sleep, once they got up that would be it, they'd have to go their separate ways. Yes, he could find Riku whenever he wanted and since they would be together that meant Kairi too, but they had their own missions. Riku and Kairi were the obvious targets, letting the rest of them move freely in the background. Which meant going to them would be risking discovery. He was confident in his skills, but against Xemnas? He'd die…or worse.

Riku shifted, hiding his face against Sora's chest, and he lifted a hand to run through long silver hair, it'd gotten even longer since the Islands fell, and it was nice to run his fingers through, though he should probably consider tying it back soon or cutting it. Riku sighed, pressing into his touch before settling down again.

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Kairi opened the door and slipped into the bedroom, moving to lie beside Sora who smiled at her. Riku looked so adorable! The sheet was barely covering their hips, leaving most of their bodies exposed and the view was very nice. She rested her head against Sora's shoulder, relaxing. It looked like things had gone very well last night, and she was glad. She shifted to press a kiss to Sora's cheek and he turned his head for a proper kiss.

"Morning," he whispered.

"Good morning," she smiled, cuddling closer into his side without disturbing Riku. "Everything went okay?" she couldn't help asking and yep, there it was, maybe not love but definite affection for a few seconds when he looked at Riku's sleeping form. Ever so slowly, he was regaining emotions, even if he couldn't see it himself.

Sora nodded. "it was amazing," he murmured. "I understand why Larxene and Marluxia were so…eager to be alone. It's the most…human I've felt since Hollow Bastion," he admitted.

Kairi shook her head, kissing him again. "You are human everywhere it counts," she told him. "If you weren't, you'd be with them."

"Everything Yen Sid and DiZ had said….everything you've seen…how can you trust me?"

"Because we know you Sora," Riku answered sleepily, lifting his head. How long had he been listening? "Heart or no Heart, you're still you. You would never hurt us."

"No matter what happens Sora, we love and trust you," she promised. "Even if you do go off on your own to try and keep everyone else safe," she wasn't dumb, she'd seen the look in his eyes when Axel had shown up. Her fellow redhead might be wanted as a traitor but she was willing to bet the Organisation wanted Sora back a lot more due to his Keyblades. By going alone, he would be the only one at risk if they found him.

"Sora…" Riku frowned.

"It's safer for everyone. I'll be faster and harder to find on my own. You'll have your copy of Axel's stolen data. They'll take me for the imposter and assume it wasn't you since they've never seen the Imposter with a weapon."

"I don't like it," Riku told him.

"Which is why I didn't say anything," Sora admitted. He'd always been pretty honest but losing his Heart had made him even more so.

"You'll be careful and check in regularly?" Riku asked.

"Riku…"

"He's right, Sora. We need to know you're okay."

"Alright," he promised softy.

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Leon stood in the old bailey, staring out at the strange castle that had appeared shortly before their world fell. It appeared to be occupied again but the real concern was the mass of Heartless and those strange Nobodies in the valley between it and the town. Even with the defence system, they couldn't deal with those numbers. He hoped Kairi and the boys got their message; they'd need their help to deal with them. He turned back towards town but then paused, looking up at what had been Ansem the Wise's castle and was more of a wreck now but…he was sure he'd spotted movement in the window. More Heartless? Or something else? Either way, they needed access to the castle.

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Toshi watched as the three said their goodbyes, seeing the affection and worry Kairi and Riku had for the Nobody of Sora. He had memories of Sora, the real Sora, and that…didn't compare. But it…he had turned on the Organisation, fought against them, for the real Riku and Kairi. It felt like the Nobody was more real than he was.

Naminé's hand slipped into his, squeezing gently. He knew the memories he had of her were even more fake than the others he'd been implanted with, but he didn't care. He had promised to protect her and he would. "We'll be travelling with Axel," she murmured, and he grimaced but nodded.

He'd been expecting Sora to leave alone, he could travel faster that way and wouldn't be stuck defending them. He could fight sure, but Naminé?

"Where to first?" Kairi asked as Riku took the controls, glad that Sora had taught him. She had vague, dreamlike, memories of Donald piloting and would rather avoid that.

"Hollow Bastion, Leon sent a call for help," Riku brought it up on the screen for the others to see.

She nodded and closed her eyes, summoning her Keyblade to open the gate.

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Sora moved easily through the Darkness, he didn't really have a destination in mind yet, there'd been very few sightings of Organisation members lately which made sense, they were kind of running low. Xemnas, Saïx, Xigbar, Luxord, Demyx… three definite dangers, the other two might back down if approached correctly. He thought Demyx liked him so maybe if he could find him he could convince him to walk away. Luxord was hard to read, everything was something to do with cards and stuff with him.

Already, being away from Kairi and Riku…he didn't like it. if he concentrated, he could track Riku at least, they seemed to still be travelling. It was so tempting to go to them, but he couldn't. They all had jobs to do and the sooner the Organisation was dealt with, the sooner he could go back to them for good, if they still wanted him. Maybe after seeing how the others were, they'd realise he wasn't really a person and push him away.

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Riku landed near the market and they all left the ship, heading for Merlins' and of course they were attacked on the way. The town defences were handy, but it took more than one mine thing to take out the Heartless.

When they made it, they found Cid at the computer with Aerith but no sign of the others.

"Hey kids…no Sora?"

"Too risky," he admitted. "Leon's message was asking for help."

"He's out at the old baily, you'll see why he called when ya get there."

"Be careful," Aerith added, that didn't sound good.

TBC…